Soviet Union at the Olympics | |
---|---|
IOC code | URS |
NOC | Soviet Olympic Committee |
Medals |
|
Summer appearances | |
Winter appearances | |
Other related appearances | |
Russian Empire (1900–1912) Estonia (1920–1936, 1992–) Latvia (1924–1936, 1992–) Lithuania (1924–1928, 1992–) Unified Team (1992) Armenia (1994–) Belarus (1994–) Georgia (1994–) Kazakhstan (1994–) Kyrgyzstan (1994–) Moldova (1994–) Russia (1994–2016) Ukraine (1994–) Uzbekistan (1994–) Azerbaijan (1996–) Tajikistan (1996–) Turkmenistan (1996–) Olympic Athletes from Russia (2018) ROC (2020–2022) |
Flag bearers carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Soviet officials expected the flag bearer to show an example of an attractive, physically strong person and a distinguished athlete. He was expected to carry the flag through the Olympic ceremony in one hand unsupported by a harness. This presented a formidable physical task as the flag weighed 16 kilograms (35 lb) in the 1960s, and a sudden wind might further increase the physical load. Hence the Soviet flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics were selected from among heavyweight weightlifters or wrestlers, who did not have to compete the next day. [1]
Soviet officials also expected the flag bearer to win a gold medal at the given Olympics. This resulted in absurd situations at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics, when the selected flag bearers, Yakov Kutsenko and Aleksey Medvedev respectively, were not allowed to compete because the officials did not believe they would win a gold medal. Both were top-level heavyweight weightlifters. Kutsenko placed second at the 1950 World Championships and Medvedev won the world title in 1956 and 1957. [1]
Below is a list of flag bearers who have represented the Soviet Union at the Olympics. [2]
# | Event year | Season | Flag bearer | Sport |
---|---|---|---|---|
18 | 1988 | Summer | Aleksandr Karelin | Wrestling |
17 | 1988 | Winter | Andrey Bukin | Figure skating |
16 | 1984 | Winter | Vladislav Tretyak | Ice hockey |
15 | 1980 | Summer | Nikolay Balboshin | Wrestling |
14 | 1980 | Winter | Alexander Tikhonov | Biathlon |
13 | 1976 | Summer | Vasily Alekseyev | Weightlifting |
12 | 1976 | Winter | Vladislav Tretyak | Ice hockey |
11 | 1972 | Summer | Aleksandr Medved | Wrestling |
10 | 1972 | Winter | Vyacheslav Vedenin | Cross-country skiing |
9 | 1968 | Summer | Leonid Zhabotinsky | Weightlifting |
8 | 1968 | Winter | Viktor Mamatov | Biathlon |
7 | 1964 | Summer | Yury Vlasov | Weightlifting |
6 | 1964 | Winter | Yevgeny Grishin | Speed skating |
5 | 1960 | Summer | Yury Vlasov | Weightlifting |
4 | 1960 | Winter | Nikolai Sologubov | Ice hockey |
3 | 1956 | Summer | Aleksey Medvedev | Weightlifting |
2 | 1956 | Winter | Oleg Goncharenko | Speed skating |
1 | 1952 | Summer | Yakov Kucenko | Weightlifting |
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.
Georgia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. Georgian National Olympic Committee (GNOC) sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since the post-Soviet era. A total of 32 athletes, 26 men and 6 women, competed in 10 different sports.
Belarus competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's fifth appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era. The Belarus Olympic Committee sent a total of 151 athletes to the Games, 82 men and 69 women, to compete in 22 sports.
Latvia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's eighth appearance at the Summer Olympics.
Kyrgyzstan competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's third appearance at the Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
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North Korea competed as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's seventh appearance at the Olympics since its debut in 1972. North Korean athletes did not attend the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, when they joined the Soviet boycott, and subsequently, led a boycott at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, along with six other nations.
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