The modern Olympic Games or Olympics are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. The Olympic Games are normally held every four years, and since 1994, have alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year period.
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union from 19 July to 3 August. A total of 5,179 athletes representing 80 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 203 events in 22 sports. They were the first Games to be staged in a communist nation.
The Pacific island nation Nauru first competed at the Summer Olympic Games in the 1996 games in Atlanta. It is the least populated nation in the 206-member International Olympic Committee. The nation is mainly known for its weightlifting tradition and all seven athletes that had competed for Nauru at the Olympics before 2012 were weightlifters.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) first participated at the Olympic Games in 1952, and competed at the Summer and Winter Games on 18 occasions subsequently. At six of its nine appearances at the Summer Olympic Games, the Soviet team ranked first in the total number of gold medals won, second three times, and became the biggest contender to the United States' domination in the Summer Games. Similarly, the team was ranked first in the gold medal count seven times and second twice in its nine appearances at the Winter Olympic Games. The Soviet Union's success might be attributed to a heavy state investment in sports to fulfill its political objectives on an international stage.
Thailand first participated at the Olympic Games in 1952, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except when they participated in the US-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. Thailand has also participated in the Winter Olympic Games since 2002.
The all-time medal table for all Olympic Games from 1896 to 2022, including Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games, and a combined total of both, is tabulated below. These Olympic medal counts do not include the 1906 Intercalated Games which are no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as official Games. The IOC itself does not publish all-time tables, and publishes unofficial tables only per single Games. This table was thus compiled by adding up single entries from the IOC database.
Russia, officially known as the Russian Federation, has competed at the modern Olympic Games on many occasions, but as different nations in its history. As the Russian Empire, the nation first competed at the 1900 Games, and returned again in 1908 and 1912. After the Russian revolution in 1917, and the subsequent establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922, it would be thirty years until Russian athletes once again competed at the Olympics, as the Soviet Union at the 1952 Summer Olympics. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia competed as part of the Unified Team in 1992, and finally returned once again as Russia at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Argentina participated at the Olympic Games for the first time in 1900. It has participated at all subsequent Summer Olympics except in 1904, 1912, and the nation boycotted the Moscow Olympics due to its support for the United States in 1980. It participated at the Winter Olympics in 1928, 1948, 1952 and continuously since 1960.
Sports in American Samoa are slightly different from sports in Samoa. The main difference is that Samoans in American Samoa are more likely to follow or play American sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Western Samoans are more likely to follow or play rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Sports such as mixed martial arts, boxing, professional wrestling, and volleyball are popular among most ethnic Samoans regardless of location.
Kenya first participated at the Olympic Games in 1956, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for the boycotted 1976 and 1980 Games. Kenya participated in the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2018. Kenyan athletes have won 103 medals in total, all from boxing and track and field events, making them the most successful African committee at the Olympics. In terms of total medals won, the most recent Summer Olympics have been Kenya's most successful, producing 42 medals between them.
Israel has competed at the Olympic Games as a nation since 1952. Its National Olympic Committee was formed in 1933, during the British Mandate of Palestine. Israel has sent a team to each Summer Olympic Games since 1952, and to each Winter Olympic Games since 1994. The country became a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in 1994.
The Netherlands first sent athletes to the Olympic Games in 1900, and has participated in almost all Games since then with the exception of 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. The Netherlands boycotted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne as a protest against the Soviet invasion in Hungary just a few weeks before the beginning of the Games.
North Macedonia first competed as an independent nation at the Olympic Games at the 1996 Summer Olympics, then as the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", and has participated in every Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games since then. Previously, until 1988, Macedonian athletes competed for Yugoslavia, and in 1992 as Independent Olympic Participants. The provisional appellation of "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" was used until 2018, in the context of the Macedonia naming dispute.
Tajikistan first participated at the Olympic Games as an independent nation in 1996, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. The nation has also competed at the Winter Olympics since 2002. To date, Andrei Drygin is one of two people ever to have represented Tajikistan at the Winter Olympic Games, being his country's sole competitor in 2002, 2006, and 2010.
The Marshall Islands took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Beijing, China from 8 to 24 August 2008. The 2008 Summer Olympics were the Marshall Islands' first appearance at the Olympics. The delegation included five athletes, two in athletics, two in swimming, and one in taekwondo. The Marshall Islands failed to win an Olympic medal at these Games.
Nauru competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that were celebrated in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Nauru was represented by the Nauru Olympic Committee, and was the only nation out of 204 participating nations and territories that sent only a single athlete, and was one of 117 that won no medals at the Games. The sole athlete to represent the nation was Itte Detenamo, who participated in the weightlifting, and was the flag bearer in both the opening and closing ceremonies. This was the same number of athletes as at the 1996 Olympics, when Marcus Stephen represented the country in the same sport, but was a decrease from the nation's last appearance at the Games when three athletes were sent to Athens. Nauru earned a berth for the weightlifting event in the Oceania and South Pacific Olympic Weightlifting Championships in 2008 and a chance to send participants in swimming and athletics events, but chose to send only a weightlifter. Itte Detenamo competed in the Group B of heavyweight class, fifteenth and last event of the weightlifting. He did not earn a medal, but finished with a personal best.
Samoa competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympic Games, although it had previously competed in four editions under the name Western Samoa.
Samoa competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016, sending two discus athletes, one male and one female. This was Samoa's fifth consecutive Paralympics, with their first Paralympics in 2000. Alefosio ‘Sio’ Laki finished 12th, setting a new personal record. Maggie Aiono finished the Paralympics in 11th place. As of the conclusion of these Paralympics, Samoa has not won a Paralympic medal.
