New Zealand competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. The New Zealand Olympic Committee was represented by 97 athletes and 60 officials. Former Olympic swimmer Dave Gerrard was the team's chef de mission.
Ian Gordon Ferguson is New Zealand's second most successful Olympian. He won four Olympic gold medals competing in K1, K2, and K4 kayak events, and attended five Summer Olympics between 1976 and 1992. He also won two canoe sprint world championship titles.
Oskar Johansson is a Canadian world class sailor from Toronto.
Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale is a retired New Zealand rower. Drysdale is a two-time Olympic champion and a five-time world champion in the single sculls. He is a seven-time New Zealand national champion and five-time recipient of New Zealand Sportsman of the Year.
Peter Garth Mander was a New Zealand yachtsman and Olympic gold medal winner. With Jack Cropp, Mander won the 12 m2 Sharpie class at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Mander then retired from competitive yachting, but made a comeback and was selected to compete in the Finn class at the 1964 Summer Olympics where he finished fourth. He later became the president of the New Zealand Yachting Federation.
Anthony Bruce Kendall is a two-time Olympic medallist in sailing for New Zealand.
Barbara Anne Kendall is a former boardsailor from New Zealand. She competed at five Summer Olympic Games and won gold, silver and bronze medals.
Jennifer Margaret Armstrong is an Olympic sailor from New Zealand. After competing for her native country at the 1992 Olympics, she moved to Australia in 1996 and won a historic sailing gold for her adopted country at the 2000 Olympics.
Leslie Jean Egnot is an American-born yachtswoman who competed for New Zealand at two Olympic Games and won a silver medal, with Jan Shearer, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain in the women's 470 class.
Janet Lee Shearer is a New Zealand sailor who competed for New Zealand at three Olympic Games and won a silver medal, with Leslie Egnot, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, in the women's 470 class.
Glenn Thomas Ashby is an Australian sailor from Strathfieldsaye, a suburb of Bendigo, Victoria. He is a multiple multihull world champion. He has been part of Team New Zealand as the wing trimmer for the 2013 America's Cup, the skipper of the 2017 America's Cup winners, Emirates Team New Zealand. and the mainsail trimmer for the 2021 America's Cup.
Isabel Marques Swan is a Brazilian sailor. She won a bronze medal in 470 class at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Michael Mackay McIntyre MBE is a British sailor, who was the Olympic champion in the Star class event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He also competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and won multiple British Finn class championships. In 1989, McIntyre was awarded an MBE for services to yachting.
Peter Burling is a New Zealand sailor. He was the 2021 America's Cup winning skipper and helmsman, and the 2017 America's Cup winning helmsman of Team New Zealand. Burling won an Olympic gold medal in the 49er class at the 2016 games and silver medals in the 2012 and 2020 Olympics.
Joanna Ayela Aleh is a New Zealand sailor. She is a national champion, a former world champion, and an Olympic gold medallist.
Andrew Blair Tuke is a New Zealand sailor who won the 2021 Americas Cup Held in Auckland and also won the 2017 Version held in Bermuda. He also won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 49er class alongside Peter Burling.
Olivia Elizabeth "Polly" Powrie is a New Zealand sailor. She has won Olympic and world championship titles in the 470 class, and is also a former 420 world champion.
Sam Meech is a New Zealand sailor who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Ralph Hamilton Roberts was a New Zealand sailor and sports administrator.
Johannes Sebastian Polgar is a German sailor, who specialized in the multihull (Tornado) and keelboat Star) classes. Together with his partner Florian Spalteholz, he was named one of the country's top sailors in the mixed multihull catamaran for the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing in eighth place. After the Games, Polgar decided to move into the Star class and eventually shared a gold-medal victory with his partner Markus Koy at the 2010 Europeans in Viareggio, Italy. A member of North German Regatta Club, Polgar trained most of his competitive sailing career under the tutelage of his Norwegian-born personal coach Rigo de Nijs.
