Germany at the Summer Olympics

Last updated
Germany at the
Summer Olympics
Flag of Germany.svg
IOC code GER
NOC German Olympic Sports Confederation
Website www.dosb.de  (in German, English, and French)
Medals
Gold
450
Silver
470
Bronze
499
Total
1,419
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

––––

Flag of Saar (1947-1956).svg  Saar (1952)
Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  United Team of Germany (1956–1964)
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany (1968–1988)
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany (1968–1988)

Athletes from Germany (GER) have appeared in 27 of the 30 Summer Olympic Games, having competed in all Games except [1] those of 1920, 1924 and 1948, when they were not permitted to do so. Germany has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice; the 1936 Games in Berlin, and the 1972 Games in Munich.

Contents

The nation appeared 15 times as a single country (IOC code GER), before World War II and again after German reunification in 1990. Three times, from 1956 to 1964, German athletes from the separate states in West and East competed as a United Team of Germany, which is currently listed by the IOC as EUA, not GER.

Due to partition under occupation that resulted in three (until 1957) post-war German states, two concurrent Olympic teams with German athletes appeared on five occasions, in 1952, from 1968 to 1976, and in 1988. The all-time results of German athletes are thus divided among the designations GER, EUA, FRG, GDR and SAA (the Saarland, which only took part in the 1952 Summer Games and won no medals).

Including the Summer Games of 2020, German athletes have won 1384 medals: 438 gold, 456 silver and 490 bronze. The IOC currently splits these results among four codes, even though only the German Democratic Republic (East Germany; GDR) from 1968 to 1988 had sent a separate team to compete against the team of the German NOC that represented Germany (GER) since 1896.

Timeline of Germany at the Summer Olympics

1896–1912

1896-1912 Flag of the German Empire.svg
1896–1912

Germany entered all Olympic Games starting in 1896, even though the relations between the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the French Third Republic where Pierre de Coubertin revived Olympic games and held the 1900 Summer Olympics, were strained following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. The country's overall medal ranks varied from second through seventh.

The worst result, seventh, occurred in the 1900 Paris Olympics. The German gymnasts were judged no better than 53rd in the single gymnastic contest organized by the French, behind dozens of Frenchmen, who occupied the first 18 places and thus won all three medals. In contrast, the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens had seen eight contests, with Germans scoring five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

The anticipated 1916 Summer Olympics, which were to be officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were to have been held in Germany's capital, Berlin. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, organization continued, as no one foresaw the war dragging on for four years. Eventually, though, the games were canceled.

1920–1948

1928-1932 Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg
1928–1932

After World War I, the German Empire became a republic informally known as Weimar Republic, a change which was reflected in a new flag of Germany that in fact was older than the former one, dating back to early 19th century democratic movements. In the Paris Peace Conference, the outbreak of the war was blamed on Germany and other Central Powers allies. These nations, which by now had new governments, were banned from the 1920 Summer Olympics. While all other banned nations were invited again for the 1924 Summer Olympics, held for the second time in Pierre de Coubertin's home town of Paris, the ban on Germany was not lifted until 1925. This was likely related to French Occupation of the Ruhr and the Rheinland between 1923 and 1925.[ citation needed ]

After 16 years of absence, a new generation of German athletes returned in the 1928 Summer Olympics, scoring second overall. Four years later, the worldwide Great Depression prevented many athletes from competing in the 1932 Games in Los Angeles. Winning only three gold medals, the German team was ranked ninth, though it did finish tied in silver medals, with 12.

1936 Flag of Germany 1933.svg
1936

In the spring of 1931 the 1936 Summer Olympics were awarded to Berlin, 20 years later than originally planned. From 1933 onwards, the Nazi Party ruled Germany, a change being marked by the use of the Nazi flag. In the games, the 348 German athletes not only outnumbered the 310 Americans, but outscored them for the first time in the medal count in which Germany ranked first. Also, German gymnasts Konrad Frey and Alfred Schwarzmann won the most medals, with six and five in total, of which three each were gold, while American Jesse Owens had won four gold medals himself. Leni Riefenstahl documented the games in the film Olympia .

The 1940 Summer Olympics as well as the 1944 Summer Olympics were canceled due to World War II. For the 1948 Summer Olympics, with the war a recent memory, Germany and Japan were not invited.

Separate German teams 1952–1988

1952-1956
since 1972 Flag of Germany.svg
1952–1956
since 1972

A United Team of Germany with athletes from two states appeared three times at the Olympic games from 1956 to 1964. The IOC currently does not attribute these results to Germany (GER), but lists them separately as the Equipe Unifiée Allemande (EUA).

In the 1952 Games, only athletes from West Germany and the Saar Protectorate took part. The former represented the Federal Republic of Germany (GER), which as the only independent democratic state, covering the largest part of Germany, claimed exclusive mandate to represent the entire country. Athletes from the Saar Protectorate (SAA) competed as a separate team, as the French-occupied region would not join the Federal Republic of Germany until 1955.

West Germany used the code GER at the Games from 1968 to 1976, although its athletes' participation is now coded as FRG by the IOC, a code introduced in 1980.

Athletes from the Soviet-occupied German Democratic Republic (GDR) appeared in a separate team after the United Team effort was discontinued. In five Games, from 1968 to 1980 and again in 1988, they represented the GDR before the East German states joined the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990, and the GDR ceased to exist.

Since 1990, the enlarged Federal Republic of Germany has been simply called Germany (GER). West Germany's six Olympic teams (from 1952, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1984 and 1988) are still listed by the IOC under FRG, though, and not attributed to GER.

In the 1980s, each of the two states participated in one of the multinational boycotts of Summer Games. Many Western countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany, boycotted the Moscow Games of 1980 due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the year before. In return, 14 Eastern Bloc states, including the GDR, boycotted the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Thus, only one German team was present in each of these two Olympics.

FRG (West Germany)

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), often called West Germany during the Cold War, was founded in 1949 as the largest of the three German states formed under occupation after the division of Germany following World War II. The West German NOC continued the tradition of the German NOC that had joined the IOC in 1895, and continued to represent the Germany that was enlarged after the Saar Protectorate (SAA) joined the Federal Republic of Germany in 1956, and after the states of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) (East Germany) had joined in the process of German reunification in 1990.

German teams competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics under the designations of GER and SAA. In the Games of 1956, 1960 and 1964, German athletes competed as a United Team of Germany (EUA), but 1968 until the end of the Cold War, the two states sent independent teams designated as West and East Germany, until the separate East German state ceased to exist.

United Team of Germany 1956–1964

1960-1968 Flag of German Olympic Team 1960-1968.svg
1960–1968

After three German states had been founded in Germany under occupation after World War II, athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) competed together as the United Team of Germany (EUA for French : Équipe unifiée d'Allemagne, German : Gesamtdeutsche Mannschaft) in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympics.

Prior to that, German athletes from West Germany and the French-occupied Saar Protectorate took part in the 1952 Summer Olympics organized in different teams designated as GER and SAA. The Saar Protectorate joined the Federal Republic after 1955, while the East German authorities, which had not taken part in the 1952 Games, agreed in 1956 to let their athletes compete in a united team that used the black-red-gold tricolour, but with additional Olympic rings in white placed upon the red middle stripe, as East German politicians were eager not to compete under the traditional German flag used both by West Germany and even themselves. Only in 1959, the GDR added socialist symbols to create a distinct Flag of East Germany. As the use of the Deutschlandlied , dating back to 1841 and 1797, of the recently created East German anthem, or of possible combinations was also rejected, Beethoven's melody to Schiller's Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy) was played for winning German athletes as a compromise in lieu of a national anthem.

During the Games of 1956, 1960 and 1964 the traditional abbreviation GER for Germany was used, or rather the equivalents in the language of the host country. In Innsbruck in 1964, the Austrian officials used the international license plate code of D for Deutschland (Germany) for the country. The IOC code currently uses EUA (from the official French-language IOC designation, Equipe Unifiée Allemande) and applies this in hindsight for the United German Team. No reasoning is given, it may be done to allow for the political circumstances during the German divide between 1949 and 1990, and the involvement of two National Olympic Committees rather than only one.

Despite initially calling for a "united Germany" in the East German anthem, the socialist East German government intensified its separation in Germany, with the erection of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 obstructing travel within Germany even more. The travel of GDR athletes, such as to contests and training sites in the Alps, was limited due to fear of Republikflucht .

As a result of this development, in the 1968 Winter and Summer Olympics, German athletes competed as separate West and East teams, while still using the compromise flag and Beethoven anthem that year. The French organizers of the Grenoble Games used the codes ALL (Allemagne, Germany) and ADE (Allemagne de l'Est, East Germany), which roughly correspond to the IOC codes of GER and GDR.

1968-1988 Flag of East Germany.svg
1968–1988

The separation was completed at the 1972 Winter and Summer Olympics (the latter was hosted by West Germany), when the two countries used separate flags and anthems. This continued until the German Reunification of 1990 where the German Democratic Republic became part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Overview of Olympic participation

Combined medals at the Summer Olympics (including all German NOCs)

status after the 2024 Olympics
Summer Games
Team (IOC code)

No.

Gold medal olympic.svg

Silver medal olympic.svg

Bronze medal olympic.svg

GoldSilverBronze medal olympic.svg

Flag of the German Empire.svg Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)18213220255688
Flag of Saar (1947-1956).svg  Saar  (SAA)10000
Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  United Team of Germany  (EUA)3285436118
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany  (GDR)5153129127409
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany  (FRG)5566781204
Total274504704991,419
Combined IOC codesNo. GamesGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgCombined total
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) [2] 18213220255688
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) (EUA)21241274291806
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) (EUA) (FRG)262973413721,010
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) (EUA) (FRG) (GDR) [3] 31 [4] 4504704991,419

All German NOCs at the Summer Olympics

  Host country

Medals by sport (GER 1896-1936, 1952, 1992-current )

  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Canoeing pictogram.svg Canoeing 36212683
Equestrian pictogram.svg Equestrian 32151461
Rowing pictogram.svg Rowing 24161555
Athletics pictogram.svg Athletics 20303787
Swimming pictogram.svg Swimming 15203267
Cycling pictogram.svg Cycling 15171749
Gymnastics pictogram.svg Gymnastics 15121441
Shooting pictogram.svg Shooting 109524
Weightlifting pictogram.svg Weightlifting 67720
Wrestling pictogram.svg Wrestling 5121128
Fencing pictogram.svg Fencing 57921
Boxing pictogram.svg Boxing 491124
Field hockey pictogram.svg Field hockey 43411
Tennis pictogram.svg Tennis 36211
Sailing pictogram.svg Sailing 35715
Judo pictogram.svg Judo 341522
Diving pictogram.svg Diving 281323
Volleyball (beach) pictogram.svg Beach volleyball 2114
Triathlon pictogram.svg Triathlon 2103
Modern pentathlon pictogram (pre-2025).svg Modern pentathlon 2013
Handball pictogram.svg Handball 1214
Water polo pictogram.svg Water polo 1203
Football pictogram.svg Football 1146
3x3 basketball pictogram.svg 3x3 basketball 1001
Table tennis pictogram.svg Table tennis 0459
Archery pictogram.svg Archery 0325
Taekwondo pictogram.svg Taekwondo 0112
Golf pictogram.svg Golf 0101
Rugby union pictogram.svg Rugby 0101
Totals (29 entries)212218254684

These totals do not include the one gold and one silver medal won by Germany in figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Best results in non-medaling sports:

Medals by sport (EUA 1956-1964)

SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Equestrian pictogram.svg Equestrian 55414
Athletics pictogram.svg Athletics 418830
Canoeing pictogram.svg Canoeing 45211
Rowing pictogram.svg Rowing 4419
Diving pictogram.svg Diving 3104
Swimming pictogram.svg Swimming 15612
Wrestling pictogram.svg Wrestling 1539
Cycling pictogram.svg Cycling 1427
Boxing pictogram.svg Boxing 1326
Fencing pictogram.svg Fencing 1124
Gymnastics pictogram.svg Gymnastics 1113
Sailing pictogram.svg Sailing 1113
Shooting pictogram.svg Shooting 1012
Judo pictogram.svg Judo 0112
Field hockey pictogram.svg Field hockey 0011
Football pictogram.svg Football 0011
Totals (16 entries)285436118

Medals by sport (GDR 1968-1988)

SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Athletics pictogram.svg Athletics 383635109
Swimming pictogram.svg Swimming 38322292
Rowing pictogram.svg Rowing 337848
Canoeing pictogram.svg Canoeing 147930
Gymnastics pictogram.svg Gymnastics 6131736
Cycling pictogram.svg Cycling 66416
Boxing pictogram.svg Boxing 52613
Shooting pictogram.svg Shooting 38516
Wrestling pictogram.svg Wrestling 2327
Diving pictogram.svg Diving 2237
Sailing pictogram.svg Sailing 2226
Weightlifting pictogram.svg Weightlifting 14611
Judo pictogram.svg Judo 1269
Football pictogram.svg Football 1113
Handball pictogram.svg Handball 1113
Volleyball pictogram.svg Volleyball 0202
Fencing pictogram.svg Fencing 0101
Totals (17 entries)153129127409

Medals by sport (FRG 1968-1988)

SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Athletics pictogram.svg Athletics 12141743
Equestrian pictogram.svg Equestrian 115925
Fencing pictogram.svg Fencing 78116
Cycling pictogram.svg Cycling 45514
Rowing pictogram.svg Rowing 44614
Shooting pictogram.svg Shooting 44311
Swimming pictogram.svg Swimming 351422
Canoeing pictogram.svg Canoeing 26311
Sailing pictogram.svg Sailing 2237
Weightlifting pictogram.svg Weightlifting 2237
Wrestling pictogram.svg Wrestling 1449
Judo pictogram.svg Judo 1438
Field hockey pictogram.svg Field hockey 1304
Boxing pictogram.svg Boxing 1056
Tennis pictogram.svg Tennis 1012
Handball pictogram.svg Handball 0101
Gymnastics pictogram.svg Gymnastics 0022
Football pictogram.svg Football 0011
Water polo pictogram.svg Water polo 0011
Totals (19 entries)566781204

Medalists

Archery

Athletics

Basketball

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Svenja Brunckhorst
Sonja Greinacher
Elisa Mevius
Marie Reichert
Flag of France.svg 2024 Paris 3x3 basketball pictogram.svg Basketball Women's 3x3 tournament

Boxing

Beach volleyball

Canoeing

Cycling

Diving

Equestrian

Fencing

Field Hockey

Figure Skating

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Anna Hübler
Heinrich Burger
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1908 London Figure Skating Pairs
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Elsa Rendschmidt Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1908 London Figure Skating Ladies' Singles

Football

Golf

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Esther Henseleit Flag of France.svg 2024 Paris Golf pictogram.svg Golf Women's individual

Gymnastics

Handball

Judo

Modern pentathlon

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Helmuth Kahl Flag of the Netherlands.svg 1928 Amsterdam Modern pentathlon pictogram (pre-2025).svg Modern pentathlon Men's individual
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Gotthard Handrick Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg 1936 Berlin Modern pentathlon pictogram (pre-2025).svg Modern pentathlon Men's individual
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Lena Schöneborn Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Beijing Modern pentathlon pictogram (pre-2025).svg Modern pentathlon Women's individual

Rowing

Rugby

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Hermann Kreuzer
Arnold Landvoigt
Heinrich Reitz
Jacob Herrmann
Erich Ludwig
Hugo Betting
August Schmierer
Fritz Muller
Adolf Stockhausen
Hans Latscha
Willy Hofmeister
Georg Wenderoth
Eduard Poppe
Richard Ludwig
Albert Amrhein
Flag of France.svg 1900 Paris Rugby pictogram.svg Rugby Men's 15 Rugby

Sailing

Shooting

Swimming

Men

Women

Table tennis

Taekwondo

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Faissal Ebnoutalib Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2000 Sydney Taekwondo pictogram.svg Taekwondo Men's middleweight
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Helena Fromm Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 2012 London Taekwondo pictogram.svg Taekwondo Women's middleweight

Tennis

Triathlon

MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Stephan Vuckovic Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2000 Sydney Triathlon pictogram.svg Triathlon Men's individual
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Jan Frodeno Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Beijing Triathlon pictogram.svg Triathlon Men's individual
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Tim Hellwig
Lisa Tertsch
Lasse Lührs
Laura Lindemann
Flag of France.svg 2024 Paris Triathlon pictogram.svg Triathlon Mixed relay

Water Polo

Weightlifting

Wrestling

Summary by sport

Aquatics

Artistic swimming

GamesSwimmersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1992 Barcelona 22/20000
Total22/170000

Diving

GamesAthletesEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1904 St. Louis 31/20101
1908 London 52/21113
1912 Stockholm 43/41214
1928 Amsterdam 94/40000
1932 Los Angeles 22/40000
1936 Berlin 114/40022
1952 Helsinki 42/40011
1992 Barcelona 74/40011
1996 Atlanta 74/40202
2000 Sydney 86/80022
2004 Athens 107/80101
2008 Beijing 98/80112
2012 London 86/80000
2016 Rio de Janeiro 87/80011
2020 Tokyo 97/80022
2024 Paris 96/80000
Total73/102281222

Swimming

Germany first competed in swimming at 1900 Games, with six swimmers in five events, winning two gold medals.

GamesSwimmersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1900 Paris 65/72002
1904 St. Louis 45/94228
1908 London 52/61001
1912 Stockholm 178/92327
1928 Amsterdam 1910/111113
1932 Los Angeles 22/110000
1936 Berlin 2410/110314
1952 Helsinki 97/110011
1992 Barcelona 3431/3113711
1996 Atlanta 2830/3205712
2000 Sydney 3532/320033
2004 Athens 3529/320145
2008 Beijing 2528/342013
2012 London 3024/340101
2016 Rio de Janeiro 2926/340000
2020 Tokyo 3129/371023
2024 Paris 2525/371113
Total15203267

Water polo

GamesSwimmersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1900 Paris 71/10000
1928 Amsterdam 81/11001
1932 Los Angeles 81/10101
1936 Berlin 111/10101
1952 Helsinki 91/10000
1992 Barcelona 121/10000
1996 Atlanta 131/10000
2004 Athens 131/20000
2008 Beijing 121/20000
Total9/271203

Archery

GamesArchersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1992 Barcelona 64/40000
1996 Atlanta 32/40101
2000 Sydney 43/40011
2004 Athens 43/40000
2008 Beijing 22/40000
2012 London 22/40000
2016 Rio de Janeiro 22/40101
2020 Tokyo 44/50011
2024 Paris 44/50101
Total2026/540325

Athletics

Badminton

Basketball

GamesAthletesEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1936 Berlin 101/10000
1992 Barcelona 121/20000
2008 Beijing 121/20000
2020 Tokyo 121/40000
2024 Paris 283/41001
Total677/241001

Beach volleyball

Boxing

Canoeing

Cycling

Germany competed in all six of the cycling events at the first Games in 1896, earning a silver medal.

Equestrian

Germany competed in equestrian at the first Games in which the sport was held, in Paris 1900. One rider competed in the mail coach event, winning no medals.

Fencing

Germany first competed in fencing in 1900, with a single sabreur who did not advance past the first round.

Football

Golf

Gymnastics

Artistic Gymnastics

Germany competed in all eight of the gymnastics events at the first Games in 1896, winning five of them and medaling in all eight.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Trampoline

Handball

GamesRowersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1936 Berlin 221/11001
1992 Barcelona 322/20000
1996 Atlanta 302/20000
2000 Sydney 151/20000
2004 Athens 151/20101
2008 Beijing 292/20000
2016 Rio de Janeiro 151/20011
2020 Tokyo 141/20000
2024 Paris 282/20101
Total15713/191214

Rowing

Germany was among the nations that competed at the first Olympic rowing regatta in 1900, with three boats in the men's coxed four (all of which earned medals in an unusual event that awarded two full sets of medals) and one in the men's eight.

GamesRowersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1900 Paris 212/41023
Total23141451

Rugby

Germany competed in the inaugural Olympic rugby union contest in 1900, taking joint silver with Great Britain behind winners France. Germany did not compete in any of the other rugby union competitions (in 1908, 1920, or 1924) and was not among the nations competing in the rugby sevens in 2016.

GamesPlayersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1900 Paris 151/10101
Total0101

Sailing

Germany competed in the first Olympic sailing competitions in 1900, taking a gold and a silver medal.

GamesRowersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1900 Paris 43/131102
Total34411

Tennis

Germany first competed in tennis at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one player competing in men's singles and, as part of a mixed team, in men's doubles. Friedrich Traun lost to John Boland in the first round of the singles, but paired with him to win the gold in the doubles. The mixed team medal is not credit to Germany.

GamesAthletesEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1896 Athens 12 [5] /20000 [6]
Total26210 [6]

Weightlifting

Germany first competed in weightlifting at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one lifter competing in one event.

GamesLiftersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1896 Athens 11/20000
Total67720

Wrestling

Germany first competed in wrestling at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one wrestler (actually a gymnast, Carl Schuhmann) competing in the open weight class event. He won the gold medal.

GamesWrestlersEventsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1896 Athens 11/11001
Total412925

References

  1. In the boycotts of 1980 and 1984, only one of two teams remained absent, with the East Germans being the only Germans present in Moscow 1980
  2. International Olympic Committee: Germany
  3. BBC: Timeline: Olympic Powers
  4. Counting the four Summer Games where both East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG) competed as two appearances.
  5. Includes participation as part of a mixed doubles team.
  6. 1 2 Does not include a gold medal won in 1896 by a mixed team that included a German player.