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United States at the Olympics

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United States at the
Olympics
Flag of the United States
IOC codeUSA
NOCUnited States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Websitewww.teamusa.com
Medals
Ranked 1st
Gold
1,232
Silver
1,013
Bronze
892
Total
3,137
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

The United States of America has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Olympic Games with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee for the United States.

American athletes have won a total of 2,774 medals (1,106 of them gold) at the Summer Olympic Games, and another 363 (126 of them gold) at the Winter Olympic Games, making the United States the most prolific medal-winning nation in the history of the Olympics. The U.S. has placed first in the Summer Olympic medal table 19 times out of 30 Summer Olympics and 29 appearances (having boycotted in 1980), but has had less success in the Winter Olympics, placing first once in 24 participations.[1] The United States have been the host nation for the modern Olympics on eight occasions so far.

The United States Olympic contingent is the only Olympic contingent in the world to receive no government funding; neither training and development costs nor prize money are provided by the U.S. national government.[2][3][4]

Hosted Games

[edit]
Michael Phelps carrying the flag on behalf of athletes from the United States during the parade of nations at the 2016 Summer Olympics. With 28 Olympic medals (23 of them gold), he is the most decorated Olympian of all time.

The United States has hosted the modern Olympic Games eight times, more than any other nation. These occasions span from the 1904 St. Louis Olympics to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Beyond hosting, the U.S. has significantly impacted the Olympics through athletic achievements, innovations in sports infrastructure and technology, and cultural contributions. Its influence extends to advocating Olympic ideals and leaving lasting legacies in host cities. Overall, the U.S. plays a central role in the history and ongoing development of the Olympic movement. For example, the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics pioneered the use of electronic timing devices. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics set new standards for opening and closing ceremonies, as well as being the first privately financed and commercially successful games in history. Hosting the Olympics has also left lasting legacies in host cities, such as improved infrastructure, economic benefits, and increased tourism. For example, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics revitalized parts of the city and left behind sporting venues still in use today.

In 2028, the third Los Angeles Olympics will mark the ninth occasion that the Olympics are hosted in the U.S.

GamesHost cityDatesNationsParticipantsEvents
1904 Summer OlympicsSt. Louis, MissouriJuly 1 – November 231266695
1932 Winter OlympicsLake Placid, New YorkFebruary 7 – 151725214
1932 Summer OlympicsLos Angeles, CaliforniaJuly 30 – August 14371,332117
1960 Winter OlympicsSquaw Valley, CaliforniaFebruary 18 – 283066527
1980 Winter OlympicsLake Placid, New YorkFebruary 13 – 24371,07238
1984 Summer OlympicsLos Angeles, CaliforniaJuly 28 – August 121406,829221
1996 Summer OlympicsAtlanta, GeorgiaJuly 19 – August 419710,318271
2002 Winter OlympicsSalt Lake City, UtahFebruary 8 – 24772,39978
2028 Summer OlympicsLos Angeles, CaliforniaJuly 14 – 30TBATBATBA
2034 Winter OlympicsSalt Lake City, UtahFebruary 10 – 26TBATBATBA

Unsuccessful bids

[edit]
Games City Winner of bid[5]
1916 Summer Olympics Cleveland Berlin
1920 Summer Olympics Atlanta
Cleveland
Philadelphia		 Antwerp
1924 Summer Olympics Los Angeles Paris
1928 Summer Olympics Los Angeles Amsterdam
1944 Summer Olympics Detroit London
1948 Winter Olympics Lake Placid St Moritz
1948 Summer Olympics Baltimore
Los Angeles
Minneapolis
Philadelphia		 London
1952 Winter Olympics Lake Placid Oslo
1952 Summer Olympics Chicago
Detroit
Los Angeles
Minneapolis
Philadelphia		 Helsinki
1956 Winter Olympics Colorado Springs
Lake Placid		 Cortina d'Ampezzo
1956 Summer Olympics Chicago
Detroit
Los Angeles
Minneapolis
Philadelphia
San Francisco		 Melbourne
1960 Summer Olympics Detroit Rome
1964 Summer Olympics Detroit Tokyo
1968 Winter Olympics Lake Placid Grenoble
1968 Summer Olympics Detroit Mexico City
1972 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City Sapporo
1972 Summer Olympics Detroit Munich
1976 Summer Olympics Los Angeles Montreal
1980 Summer Olympics Los Angeles Moscow
1992 Winter Olympics Anchorage Albertville
1994 Winter Olympics Anchorage Lillehammer
1998 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City Nagano
2012 Summer Olympics New York City London
2016 Summer Olympics Chicago Rio de Janeiro

Relinquished hosting rights

[edit]
Games City Eventually hosted by
1976 Winter Olympics Denver Innsbruck

Medal tables

[edit]
Francis Olympic Field of Washington University in St. Louis, site of the 1904 Olympic Games. The 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri were the first Olympic Games held outside of Europe.

The United States made its Olympic debut in 1896 in Athens, the very first edition of the modern games. The nation performed inconsistently in the pre-World War-I period, primarily due to fielding considerably fewer athletes than host countries, with the exception being the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, where the U.S. achieved its largest medal haul in history, a record that still stands today. During the interwar period, the U.S. enjoyed its greatest success, topping both gold and total medal counts at four straight Summer Games, before falling short in the 1936 Berlin games. The next summer Olympics were held in 1948 following World War II. In 1952, the Soviet Union made its Olympic debut, initiating a state-sponsored approach to international sport focused on projecting socio-political superiority. The rapid rise of the Soviet Union to challenge the United States as a leading Olympic power raised questions and suspicion about the means used to achieve this, including the pretense of professional athletes having amateur status and allegations of state-sponsored doping. After 20 years of competition on the Olympic stage, the USSR convincingly topped the gold medal chart at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. After that, the U.S. would not top the medal table in non-boycotted games until the 1996 Summer Olympics, five years after the USSR collapsed.[6][7] A bright spot for the United States was the 1984 games in Los Angeles, where the U.S. set a record for most gold medals won in a single Olympics (83), buoyed by the Soviet-led boycott. Coincident with a drive by the International Olympic Committee toward gender parity beginning in the 1990s, the U.S.'s fortunes improved, and the nation topped the medal table in the Summer Olympics six times since 1992 and placed second on two occasions.

In contrast to its summer Olympics status, the United States was not a power in the Winter Games until the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Hosting the games in 2002 boosted the U.S. winter sports program; since then, the country's athletes have performed consistently well, never placing below fourth in the medal count. The nation won the most medals (37) at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver but dropped to 23 medals at the 2018 games in Pyeongchang.

Medals by Summer Games

[edit]

  Host country

GamesAthletesGoldSilverBronzeTotalGold medalTotal medal
1896 Athens1411722012
1900 Paris752013154822
1904 St. Louis52680858324811
1908 London1222312124722
1912 Stockholm1742519196312
1920 Antwerp2884127279511
1924 Paris2994527279911
1928 Amsterdam2802218165611
1932 Los Angeles47441323010311
1936 Berlin3592420125622
1948 London3003827198411
1952 Helsinki2864019177611
1956 Melbourne2973225177422
1960 Rome2923421167122
1964 Tokyo3463626289012
1968 Mexico City35745283410711
1972 Munich4003331309422
1976 Montreal3963435259432
1980 Moscowboycotted
1984 Los Angeles52283613017411
1988 Seoul5273631279433
1992 Barcelona54537343710822
1996 Atlanta64644322510111
2000 Sydney5863724329311
2004 Athens53336392610111
2008 Beijing58836393711221
2012 London53048263210611
2016 Rio de Janeiro55446373812111
2020 Tokyo61539413311311
2024 Paris59240444212611
2028 Los Angelesfuture event
2032 Brisbanefuture event
Total (29/30)11,5231,1068807882,77411
Source: [8][9][10]
Notes
  • ART Art competitions (1912–1948) are not included in the medal table above, as they were non-sports events formerly part of the Olympic Games.[nb 1] The United States won a total of 9 art competition medals (4 gold, and 5 silver), across the 1912, 1932, and 1936 Summer Olympics.[10]
  • NAT Athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896, 1900, and 1904) are attributed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) according to the national affiliation of their club or team, rather than their nationality.[nb 2]
    • 1900 Olympic Games:
      Canadian George Orton (CAN) won a gold medal and a bronze medal in athletics; as a representative of an American club, his results were attributed to the United States. Conversely, American Pauline Whittier (silver in golf) represented a Swiss club, while Abbie Pratt (bronze in golf) represented a French club; their medals were therefore attributed to Switzerland and France, respectively.
    • 1904 Olympic Games:
      Austrian Julius Lenhart (AUT) (gymnastics; one gold and one silver), Norwegians Bernhoff Hansen (NOR) and Charles Ericksen (NOR) (wrestling; one gold each), Frenchman Albert Corey (FRA) (athletics; one silver), Australian Francis Gailey (AUS) (swimming; three silver and one bronze), German Frank Kugler (GER) (wrestling and weightlifting; one silver and two bronze), Austrian Otto Wahle (AUT) (swimming; one bronze), and Swiss Gustav Tiefenthaler (SUI) (wrestling; one bronze) represented American clubs, and their results were attributed to the United States.
  • MIX At the 1904 Summer Olympics three team event medals (1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze) won by American clubs competing as mixed teams—composed primarily of American athletes alongside a few non-American participants—were attributed to the United States: gold in the gymnastics team all-around, silver in the 4 mile team race, and bronze in the tug of war team competition.[11][12]

Medals by Winter Games

[edit]

  Host country

GamesAthletesGoldSilverBronzeTotalGold medalTotal medal
1924 Chamonix24121453
1928 St. Moritz24222622
1932 Lake Placid646421211
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen55103486
1948 St. Moritz69342944
1952 Oslo654611122
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo67232765
1960 Squaw Valley793431032
1964 Innsbruck89124788
1968 Grenoble95151798
1972 Sapporo103323856
1976 Innsbruck1063341033
1980 Lake Placid1016421233
1984 Sarajevo107440834
1988 Calgary118213699
1992 Albertville1475421156
1994 Lillehammer1476521355
1998 Nagano1866341356
2002 Salt Lake City2021013113432
2006 Turin2049972522
2010 Vancouver212915133731
2014 Sochi22299102842
2018 Pyeongchang2419862344
2022 Beijing2249972535
2026 Milano Cortina232121293322
2030 French Alpsfuture event
2034 Utahfuture event
Total (25/25)3,18312613310436322

Source: [8][9]

Best results

[edit]

Medals by summer sport

[edit]
  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
 Athletics359282226867
 Swimming265194152611
 Wrestling594743149
 Shooting583429121
 Boxing502741118
 Diving494746142
 Gymnastics424542129
 Rowing34322591
 Basketball272332
 Tennis2171341
 Cycling20242266
 Sailing19232062
 Weightlifting17171448
 Archery14111035
 Equestrian11242055
 Beach volleyball72211
 Fencing6121937
 Canoeing66719
 Golf62412
 Artistic swimming53210
 Football5229
 Water polo46616
 Volleyball44513
 Taekwondo32611
 Softball3205
 Judo24814
 Rugby2013
 Surfing2002
 Triathlon1225
 Baseball1124
 Roque 1113
 Tug of war 1113
 3x3 basketball1012
 Jeu de paume 1001
 Modern pentathlon0639
 Skateboarding0235
 Sport climbing0213
 Polo 0112
 Lacrosse0101
 Marathon swimming 0101
 Field hockey0022
 Breaking0011
 Karate0011
Totals (43 entries)1,1068797872,772
Source: [13]

Updated on November 16, 2024

*This table does not include two medals awarded at the 1920 Summer Olympics – one silver awarded in the ice hockey event and one bronze awarded in the figure skating event.

The United States has never won an Olympic medal in the following current summer sports or disciplines: badminton, handball, rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis and trampoline gymnastics.

Medals by winter sport

[edit]
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
 Speed skating32242076
 Alpine skiing19221152
 Figure skating19172157
 Snowboarding1791137
 Freestyle skiing14171041
 Bobsleigh9111131
 Ice hockey612220
 Short track speed skating 471021
 Skeleton3418
 Cross-country skiing1427
 Nordic combined1304
 Curling1113
 Luge0347
 Ski jumping0011
Totals (14 entries)126134105365

Updated on February 22, 2026

*This table includes two medals awarded at the 1920 Summer Olympics – one silver awarded in the ice hockey event and one bronze awarded in the figure skating event.

Biathlon and ski mountaineering are the current winter sport that the United States has never won an Olympic medal in.

Best results in non-medaling sports

[edit]

Reallocated medals of the 1900 and 1904 Summer Olympics

[edit]

The nationalities of several medalists were disputed, as many athletes competing for American clubs or teams were recent immigrants who had not yet acquired U.S. citizenship. Following recommendations by Olympic historian Bill Mallon, the IOC adjusted its database in July 2021, attributing results by athletes nationality, and, from 2024 onward, attributed participation and medals according to the national affiliation of the club or team for which the athletes competed.[14]

As of the IOC's 2024 revision, the following cases comprise for the 1900 Summer Olympics a total of two medals (one gold, and one silver), and for the 1904 Summer Olympics a total of 17 medals (4 gold, 7 silver, and 6 bronze) attributed to the United States, despite having been won by non-American athletes, as they represented clubs affiliated with the United States. Three of the 17 medals (1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze) were won by mixed teams consisting of American clubs or teams that included non-American athletes.

Only the medals of two American athletes in the women's individual golf event at the 1900 Games have been attributed to a foreign country. American Pauline Whittier (silver) was affiliated with the St. Moritz Golf Club in Switzerland, while Abbie Pratt (bronze) was affiliated with the Dinard Golf Club in France; their medals were therefore attributed to Switzerland and France, respectively.[15][16]

Medals reallocated from non-American athletes to American teams

[edit]
Individual events
Medal Name Nationality Affiliation Games Sport Event Reallocated to Ref
 Gold George Orton  Canada University
of Pennsylvania		 1900 Paris AthleticsMen's 2500 metres steeplechase  United States [17][18]
 Bronze George Orton  CanadaMen's 400 metres hurdles [19][20]
 Gold Julius Lenhart Austria Philadelphia Turngemeinde 1904 St. Louis GymnasticsMen's all-around  United States [21][22]
 Gold Bernhoff Hansen  Norway Brooklyn Norwegier Turnverein WrestlingMen's freestyle heavyweight  United States [23][24]
 Gold Charles Ericksen  NorwayMen's freestyle welterweight  United States [25][26]
 Silver Albert Corey  France Chicago Athletic Association AthleticsMen's Marathon  United States [27][28]
 Silver Julius Lenhart Austria Philadelphia Turngemeinde GymnasticsMen's triathlon  United States [29][30]
 Silver Francis Gailey  Australia Olympic Club, San Francisco SwimmingMen's 220 yard freestyle  United States [31][32]
 Silver Francis Gailey  AustraliaMen's 440 yard freestyle  United States [31][32]
 Silver Francis Gailey  AustraliaMen's 880 yard freestyle  United States [31][32]
 Silver Frank Kugler  Germany St. Louis Southwest Turnverein WrestlingMen's freestyle heavyweight  United States [23][24]
 Bronze Francis Gailey  Australia Olympic Club, San Francisco SwimmingMen's1 mile freestyle  United States [31][32]
 Bronze Otto Wahle Austria New York Athletic ClubMen's 440 yd freestyle  United States [33][34]
 Bronze Frank Kugler  Germany St. Louis Southwest Turnverein WeightliftingMen's two hand lift  United States [35][36]
 Bronze Frank Kugler  GermanyMen's all-around dumbbell  United States [35][36]
 Bronze Gustav Tiefenthaler   Switzerland South Broadway AC WrestlingMen's freestyle light flyweight  United States [37][38]
Team events
Medal Team Affiliation Games Sport Event Reallocated to Ref
 Gold
 Mixed team
 John Grieb (USA)
 Anton Heida (USA)
 Max Hess (USA)
 Philip Kassel (USA)
 Julius Lenhart (AUT)
 Ernst Reckeweg (USA)
 Philadelphia Turngemeinde 1904 St. Louis GymnasticsMen's team all-around  United States [39][40]
 Silver
 Mixed team
 Albert Corey (FRA)
 Lacey Hearn (USA)
 Sidney Hatch (USA)
 James Lightbody (USA)
 Frank Verner (USA)
 Chicago Athletic Association AthleticsMen's 4 mile team race  United States [41][42]
 Bronze
 Mixed team
 Oscar Friede (USA)
 Charles Harberkorn (USA)
 Harry Jacobs (USA)
 Frank Kugler (GER)
 Charles Thias (USA)
 St. Louis Southwest
Turnverein #2		 Tug of warMen's team competition  United States [43][44]

Medals reallocated from American athletes to non-American teams

[edit]
Indiviudal events
Medal Name Nationality Affiliation Games Sport Event Reallocated to Ref
 Silver Pauline Whittier  United States  SUI
St. Moritz Golf Club		 1900 Paris Golf Women's individual  Switzerland [15][16]
 Bronze Abbie Pratt  United States  FRA
Dinard Golf Club		  France

Flagbearers

[edit]

History

[edit]

Recent period (1994–present)

[edit]
Dara Torres is the third-most decorated female American Olympic athlete after Jenny Thompson and Katie Ledecky, celebrated not only for her athletic achievements but also for defying age norms in competitive sports.

U.S. athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics Games in recent decades, with their fortunes having steadily improved in most sports since 1992. America finished second in the medal count in 1992 and 2008, while placing first at seven other Games in that period.

Jennie Finch signing autographs. From 1998 to 2010, Finch became the most recognizable face on a dominant U.S. softball squad. Her 2004 Olympics showing put her on an elite level, as she helped lead Team USA to a gold medal.

At the 2016 Summer Games, Kim Rhode became the only female Olympian to win an Olympic medal in six consecutive Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). She has won three gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals.

The United States, represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, the Games were postponed to July 23 to August 8, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[47] The opening ceremony flag-bearers for the United States were baseball player Eddy Alvarez and basketball player Sue Bird.[48] Javelin thrower Kara Winger was the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.[49] When USA Gymnastics announced that 2016 Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles would not participate in the gymnastics all-around final due to health issues, the spotlight fell on her American teammates. The U.S. had won the event in each of the last five Olympic Games: a formidable winning streak was on the line. Sunisa Lee embraced the moment and stood tall to deliver for her country. She totaled 57.433 to hold off Rebeca Andrade of Brazil (57.298) to clinch the title. Lee also made history of her own. With victory in the all-around she became the first Hmong American gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal, and the first gymnast of Asian descent to do so. With a silver in the women's team final and bronze in the individual uneven bars Lee left Tokyo with an impressive three Olympic medals.

Lydia Jacoby, Alaska's teenage swimming sweetheart, made history when she became the first Alaskan swimmer selected to make the U.S. Olympic swim team. She surprised the swimming world by winning the women's 100m breaststroke. Recent major champion Nelly Korda followed the winning ways of compatriot Xander Schauffele to take home gold in the women's golf competition. The 2.01m-tall thrower Ryan Crouser retained his Olympic title in the men's shot put and did so in some style, setting an Olympic record three times. The U.S. achieved a commanding lead in the overall medal count, with 113 medals, but only edged China in the gold medal tally on the last day, finishing with 39 gold medals to China's 38.

Simone Biles at the 2024 Olympic Games. Widely regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of all time,[50][51] she redefined competitive gymnastics by shattering records, introducing unprecedented high-difficulty skills that bear her name, and establishing herself as the most decorated gymnast in history.[52]

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, the U.S. exercised a diplomatic boycott due to the "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses", meaning it did not send any high-level delegation to the Games, but would not hinder athletes from participating.[53] A total of 25 medals meant Team USA won two more medals than in 2018, although it still signifies an overall decline after 37 medals in 2010 and 28 in 2014. For the fifth consecutive games, the Americans won nine gold medals, this time placing third in the medal count. Notable successes included Jessie Diggins becoming the first American female skier to win individual cross-country medals, figure skater Nathan Chen breaking the short program world record en route to the Olympic gold medal in the men's singles, Erin Jackson becoming the first black female athlete to win speed skating gold, and Chloe Kim defending her title in the snowboarding women's halfpipe. Veteran snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, who last medaled in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, was the only U.S. athlete with multiple gold medals, winning the women's snowboard cross event, and sharing the gold with teammate Nick Baumgartner in the mixed snowboard cross event.

Amateurism and professionalism

[edit]

The exclusion of professionals caused several controversies throughout the history of the modern Olympics. The 1912 Olympic pentathlon and decathlon champion Jim Thorpe was stripped of his medals, when it was discovered that he had played semi-professional baseball before the Olympics. His medals were posthumously restored by the IOC in 1983 on compassionate grounds.[54]

The advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete" of the Eastern Bloc countries eroded the ideology of the pure amateur. It put the self-financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage. The Soviet Union entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but all of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full-time basis.[55][56][57] The situation greatly disadvantaged American athletes and was a major factor in the decline of American medal hauls in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, the Olympics shifted away from amateurism, as envisioned by Pierre de Coubertin. They began allowing participation of professional athletes, but only in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its influence within the International Olympic Committee.[58][59][60]

Prize money

[edit]

When a U.S. athlete wins an Olympic medal, as of 2016, the USOPC paid the winner $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze.[61] The USOPC increased the payouts by 25% to $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze beginning in 2017.[62] These numbers are significantly lower than in other countries, where Olympic gold medalists receive up to $1 million from their governments for a gold medal.[63][64] Since 2018, payouts to Paralympic athletes have been the same as to the Olympians. The International Paralympic Committee noted that "'Operation Gold Awards' for [American] Paralympic athletes [would] be increased by as much as 400 percent".[65]

Financial support for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes

[edit]

In 2025, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced a historic $100 million donation from Ross Stevens, founder of Stone Ridge Holdings Group (a New York City–based asset management firm specializing in alternative investments, with over $20 billion in assets under management). The gift, the largest in the USOPC's history, provides long-term financial support for future Olympic and Paralympic athletes, addressing the financial burdens they face due to intense training schedules that limit career opportunities. Starting with the 2026 Milan Games through 2032, each participating athlete will receive $200,000 in financial benefits per Olympic appearance. The first half of this amount will be accessible 20 years after participation or upon turning 45 (whichever comes later), with the remainder given to families upon the athlete's death. The donation is intended to provide financial security and a springboard for post-Olympic careers. Many U.S. athletes face significant financial hardships due to limited national support compared to their international counterparts.[66][67][4] Unlike many other countries, the U.S. government does not fund its Olympic program, so athletes rely almost entirely on sponsorships and media deals (which generate roughly 75–80% of revenue) plus fundraising (contributing an additional 10–20%). This funding model leaves many Olympians struggling financially during their careers—and even into retirement. In 2024, USOPF president Christine Walshe noted that 57% of U.S. athletes earn $50,000 or less annually. "You don't want athletes being destitute when they finish a long, storied career", USOPF chair Geoff Yang said, describing the donation as "transformational".[4]

Doping

[edit]

United States has had eight Olympic medals stripped, which is fifth in the ranking of countries with the most stripped medals.[68] In all cases, the sanctioned athletes acted on their own. In the case of swimmer Rick DeMont, the USOC has recognized his gold medal performance in the 1972 Summer Olympics in 2001,[69] but only the IOC has the power to restore his medal, and it has as of 2024 refused to do so.[69] DeMont originally won the gold medal in 4:00.26. Following the race, the IOC stripped him of his gold medal[70] after his post-race urinalysis tested positive for traces of the banned substance ephedrine contained in his prescription asthma medication, Marax. The positive test following the 400-meter freestyle final also deprived him of a chance at multiple medals, as he was not permitted to swim in any other events at the 1972 Olympics, including the 1,500-meter freestyle for which he was the then-current world record-holder. Before the Olympics, DeMont had properly declared his asthma medications on his medical disclosure forms, but the USOC had not cleared them with the IOC's medical committee.[71][69]

In 2003, Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee's director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to Sports Illustrated that revealed that some 100 American athletes failed drug tests from 1988 to 2000, arguing that they should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics but were nevertheless cleared to compete; among those athletes were Carl Lewis, Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard.[72][73][74][75] Before showing the documents to Sports Illustrated, Exum tried to use them in a lawsuit against USOC, accusing the organization of racial discrimination and wrongful termination against him and cover-up over the failed tests. His case was summarily dismissed by the Denver federal Court for lack of evidence. The USOC claimed his case "baseless" as he himself was the one in charge of screening the anti-doping test program of the organization and clarifying that the athletes were cleared according to the rules.[76][77]

Carl Lewis broke his silence on allegations that he was the beneficiary of a drugs cover-up, admitting he had failed tests for banned substances, but claiming he was just one of "hundreds" of American athletes who were allowed to escape bans, concealed by the USOC. Lewis has acknowledged that he failed three tests during the 1988 US Olympic trials, which under international rules at the time should have prevented him from competing in the 1988 Summer Olympics.[78] Former athletes and officials came out against the USOC cover-up. "For so many years I lived it. I knew this was going on, but there's absolutely nothing you can do as an athlete. You have to believe governing bodies are doing what they are supposed to do. And it is obvious they did not", said former American sprinter and 1984 Olympic champion, Evelyn Ashford.[79]

Exum's documents revealed that Carl Lewis had tested positive three times at the 1988 Olympics trials for minimum amounts of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine, which were banned stimulants. Bronchodilators are also found in cold medication. Due to the rules, his case could have led to disqualification from the Seoul Olympics and suspension from competition for six months. The levels of the combined stimulants registered in the separate tests were 2 ppm, 4 ppm and 6 ppm.[76] Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma Huang", the Chinese name for Ephedra (ephedrine is known to help weight loss).[76] Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason.[80][81] The highest level of the stimulants Lewis recorded was 6 ppm, which was regarded as a positive test in 1988 but is now regarded as negative test. The acceptable level has been raised to ten parts per million for ephedrine and twenty-five parts per million for other substances.[76][82] According to the IOC rules at the time, positive tests with levels lower than 10 ppm were cause of further investigation but not immediate ban. Neal Benowitz, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco who is an expert on ephedrine and other stimulants, agreed that "These [levels] are what you'd see from someone taking cold or allergy medicines and are unlikely to have any effect on performance."[76] Following Exum's revelations the IAAF acknowledged that at the 1988 Olympic Trials the USOC indeed followed the correct procedures in dealing with eight positive findings for ephedrine and ephedrine-related compounds in low concentration. Additionally, in 1988 the federation reviewed the relevant documents with the athletes' names undisclosed and stated that "the medical committee felt satisfied, however, on the basis of the information received that the cases had been properly concluded by the USOC as 'negative cases' in accordance with the rules and regulations in place at the time and no further action was taken".[83][84]

Disqualified medalists

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ In 1952, art competition medals, as well as the gold medal awards for feats in alpinism and aeronautics, were removed from the official national medal counts.[90] Only since 2021 have they been officially listed again by the IOC in the medal tables and respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) profiles on its website.[10]
  2. ↑ In 2024, the IOC reinstated its original and current attribution policy for athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896, 1900, and 1904). From 2021 to 2024, the IOC briefly attributed medals in individual events according to the athlete's nationality, even when the athlete represented a foreign club or team. Since 2024, participation and medals have instead been attributed according to the national affiliation of the club or team represented by the athlete.[91]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "1,000 times gold – The thousand medals of Team USA – Washington Post". The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ "Team USA Fund". United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Unlike most countries, Team USA does not receive government funding. Instead, we rely on donations from family, friends and fans like you.
  3. ↑ Hart, Torrey (August 7, 2020). "U.S. Olympic Athletes in Financial Limbo Without Olympics, Events".
  4. 1 2 3 "U.S. Olympic team gets record $100M donation". ESPN.com. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Past Olympic host city election results". GamesBids. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  6. ↑ J. N. Washburn (July 21, 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Oates, Bob (July 22, 1986). "Sports in Soviet Union Only for Elite : There Are Top Athletes, and Then There Are Those Who Sunbathe and Watch Drawbridges Go Up". Los Angeles Times.
  8. 1 2 "Olympic Analytics – United States (USA)". olympanalyt.com. Olympic Analytics. 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Olympedia – United States (USA)". Olympedia. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "United States - NOC Profile". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. Archived from the original on October 6, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Team All-Around, Apparatus Work and Field Sports Men Results - Olympic gymnastics-artistic". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 tug of war men Results - Olympic tug-of-war". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Olympedia – United States (USA)". Olympedia. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Olympedia – FAQ Nationality". Olympedia. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Paris 1900 Individual women Results - Olympic Golf (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. October 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Paris 1900 Individual women Results - Olympic Golf". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Paris 1900 3000m steeplechase men Results - Olympic Athletics (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. July 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Paris 1900 3000m steeplechase men Results - Olympic Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Paris 1900 400m hurdles men Results - Olympic Athletics (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. June 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Paris 1900 400m hurdles men Results - Olympic Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  21. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 individual all-round men Results - Olympic gymnastics-artistic (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. May 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  22. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 individual all-round men Results - Olympic gymnastics-artistic". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  23. 1 2 "St. Louis 1904 Heavyweight, Freestyle (>158 pounds) Men Results - Olympic Wrestling (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. October 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  24. 1 2 "St. Louis 1904 Heavyweight, Freestyle (>158 pounds) Men Results - Olympic Wrestling". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  25. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Welterweight, Freestyle (≤158 pounds) Men Results - Olympic Wrestling (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. October 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  26. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Welterweight, Freestyle (≤158 pounds) Men Results - Olympic Wrestling". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  27. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 marathon men Results - Olympic Athletics (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. November 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  28. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 marathon men Results - Olympic Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  29. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 combined 3 events men Results - Olympic Gymnastics Artistic (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. December 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  30. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 combined 3 events men Results - Olympic Gymnastics Artistic". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "St. Louis 1904 Swimming - Olympic Results by Discipline (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. May 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  32. 1 2 3 4 "St. Louis 1904 Swimming - Olympic Results by Discipline". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  33. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 400m freestyle men Results - Olympic Swimming (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. May 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  34. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 400m freestyle men Results - Olympic Swimming". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  35. 1 2 "St. Louis 1904 Weightlifting - Olympic Results by Discipline (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. April 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  36. 1 2 "St. Louis 1904 Weightlifting - Olympic Results by Discipline". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  37. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Light-Flyweight, Freestyle (≤105 pounds) Men Results - Olympic Wrestling (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. April 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  38. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Light-Flyweight, Freestyle (≤105 pounds) Men Results - Olympic Wrestling". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  39. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Team All-Around, Apparatus Work and Field Sports Men Results - Olympic gymnastics-artistic (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. March 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  40. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 Team All-Around, Apparatus Work and Field Sports Men Results - Olympic gymnastics-artistic". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  41. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 4miles team men Results - Olympic athletics (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. March 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  42. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 4miles team men Results - Olympic athletics". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  43. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 tug of war men Results - Olympic tug-of-war (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. August 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  44. ↑ "St. Louis 1904 tug of war men Results - Olympic tug-of-war". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  45. ↑ Warren Wofford was the flagbearer in the (Equestrian) parade in Stockholm for the Olympics Equestrian Sports Association events held there because a quarantine imposed on horses prevented equestrian events from taking place in Australia
  46. ↑ The first female flagbearer for the United States at the Olympics
  47. ↑ "Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2021 Organising Committee". Olympics. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Sue Bird And Eddy Alvarez Selected As Team USA's Flag Bearers For The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". teamusa.org. July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  49. ↑ "The flagbearers for the Tokyo 2020 Closing Ceremony". Olympics.com. August 8, 2021. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Simone Biles becomes the most decorated gymnast in history". npr.org. October 6, 2023. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  51. ↑ Thomas Jeffreys (August 5, 2024). "Who is Simone Biles, when does she compete next and what is the 'Biles II'?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  52. ↑ "Simone Biles: All titles, records and medals – complete list". olympics.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  53. ↑ Cha, Victor (January 18, 2022). "The Biden Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics".
  54. ↑ "Jim Thorpe Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  55. ↑ "Info" (PDF). www.cia.gov.
  56. ↑ Washburn, J. N. (July 21, 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times.
  57. ↑ "Sports in Soviet Union Only for Elite : There Are Top Athletes, and then There Are Those Who Sunbathe and Watch Drawbridges Go up". Los Angeles Times. July 22, 1986.
  58. ↑ Soviet Control of Sports CIA
  59. ↑ Soviet sports as an instrument of political propaganda CIA
  60. ↑ "The Role of Sports in The Soviet Union – Guided History". blogs.bu.edu.
  61. ↑ Cao, Athena Cao (15 August 2016) Uncle Sam goes for gold, too: Up to $9,900 per Olympic gold medal[permanent dead link] First Coast News via USA Today
  62. ↑ "USOC Increases 'Operation Gold' Payouts By 25% Beginning in 2017". Swimswam.com. December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  63. ↑ Knight, Brett. "Many Countries Pay Big Bonuses For Olympic Medals. This One Is Shelling Out $2.7 Million". Forbes. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  64. ↑ Dunlap, Keith (August 10, 2021). "Some countries pay more than six figures to athletes who bring home a medal -- but not the U.S." KSAT. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  65. ↑ Paralympians to earn equal payouts as Olympians in the USA
  66. ↑ Golden, Jessica (March 5, 2025). "U.S. Olympic committee announces $100 million grant to fund athletes into their future". CNBC. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  67. ↑ Perelman, Rich (March 5, 2025). "U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: Stevens pledges sensational $100 million for post-athletic earnings fund". The Sports Examiner. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  68. ↑ "Countries With The Most Stripped Olympic Medals". WorldAtlas. June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  69. 1 2 3 4 "Olympic Sports - USOC to acknowledge gold medal-stripped swimmer DeMont". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Associated Press. January 30, 2001. Archived from the original on May 7, 2001.
  70. ↑ Neil Amdur, "Of Gold and Drugs", The New York Times (September 4, 1972). Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  71. ↑ Rick DeMont. Sports-Reference.com
  72. ↑ "U.S. hid failed tests, files reveal". The Globe and Mail. April 17, 2003.
  73. ↑ "OLYMPICS; Anti-Doping Official Says U.S. Covered Up". The New York Times. April 17, 2003.
  74. ↑ "American attitude baffles rest of world". ESPN.com. April 29, 2020.
  75. ↑ "Athletics: Ready, set ... start explaining". The New Zealand Herald. April 25, 2003.
  76. 1 2 3 4 5 Abrahamson, Alan (April 23, 2003). "Just a Dash of Drugs in Lewis, DeLoach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  77. ↑ "Anti-Doping Official Says U.S. Covered Up". The New York Times. April 17, 2003. p. S6.
  78. ↑ Mackay, Duncan (April 24, 2003). "Lewis: 'Who cares I failed drug test?'". The Guardian. London.
  79. ↑ "This idol has feet of clay, after all". Archived from the original on February 22, 2007.
  80. ↑ Pete McEntegart (April 14, 2003). "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated.
  81. ↑ "Carl Lewis's positive test covered up". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 18, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  82. ↑ Wallechinsky and Loucky, The Complete Book of the Olympics (2012 edition), page 61.
  83. ↑ "IAAF: USOC followed rules over dope tests". April 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014.
  84. ↑ Abrahamson, Alan (May 1, 2003). "USOC's Actions on Lewis Justified by IAAF". Los Angeles Times.
  85. 1 2 3 "IOC strips Jones of all 5 Olympic medals - Other sports- nbcsports.MSNBC.com". nbcsports.msnbc.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  86. ↑ "IOC strips gold from 2000 US relay team - Yahoo! News". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  87. ↑ IOC statement of Lance Armstrongolympics.com Archived February 15, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  88. ↑ "Hamilton stripped of Athens gold". BBC Sport.
  89. ↑ "IOC strips U.S. relay of silver after Tyson Gay case". May 13, 2015.
  90. McGillivray, Mary (July 31, 2024). "ABC TV's The Art Of explores the surprising history of art competitions at the Olympics". ABC News. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  91. "Olympedia – FAQ Nationality". Olympedia. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
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