Soviet Union at the Olympics
The Soviet Union sent athletes to the Olympic Games for the first time in 1952. They sent teams to the Games 18 simes since then. At seven of its nine times at the Summer Olympic Games, the team ranked first in the total number of medals won. It was ranked second at the other two Games. The team was ranked first in the medal count seven times and second twice in nine times they sent teams to the Winter Olympic Games.
| 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 (2018W) | |
The Olympic Committee of the USSR was created on April 21, 1951. It was accepted by the IOC on May 7, 1951.
The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki was first Olympic Games for Soviet athletes. On July 20, 1952, the first Olympic gold medal for the country was won by Nina Romashkova in the women's discus throw. Romashkova set the new Olympic record in the. The 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo were the first Winter Olympic Games for Soviet athletes. The first Winter Olympic gold medal for the Soviet Union was won by Lyubov Kozyreva in women's cross-country skiing 10 km event.
The USSR was the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. These Games were boycotted by the United States and many other countries. After this, the USSR led a boycott of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
The USSR ended on December 26, 1991. The Olympic Committee of the USSR did not end until March 12, 1992.
In 1992, 12 of the 15 countries that had been part of the Soviet Union took part in the Games as the Unified Team. They used the Olympic Flag in the Barcelona Games. The Unified Team finished first in the medal rankings. The Unified Team also competed at the Albertville Winter Games earlier in the year. Only seven of the twelve countries took part. They finished second in the medal ranking at those Games.
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
| Games | Athletes[1] | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 Helsinki | 295 (40) | 22 | 30 | 19 | 71 |
| 1956 Melbourne | 283 (39) | 37 | 29 | 32 | 98 |
| 1960 Rome | 284 (50) | 43 | 29 | 31 | 103 |
| 1964 Tokyo | 319 (63) | 30 | 31 | 35 | 96 |
| 1968 Mexico City | 313 (67) | 29 | 32 | 30 | 91 |
| 1972 Munich | 373 (71) | 50 | 27 | 22 | 99 |
| 1976 Montreal | 49 | 41 | 35 | 125 | |
| 1980 Moscow (host nation) | 80 | 69 | 46 | 195 | |
| 1984 Los Angeles | did not compete | ||||
| 1988 Seoul | 55 | 31 | 46 | 132 | |
| Total | 395 | 319 | 296 | 1010 | |
Medals by Winter Games
| Games | Athletes[1] | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | 55 (7) | 7 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| 1960 Squaw Valley | 62 (13) | 7 | 5 | 9 | 21 |
| 1964 Innsbruck | 69 (17) | 11 | 8 | 6 | 25 |
| 1968 Grenoble | 74 (21) | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| 1972 Sapporo | 78 (20) | 8 | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| 1976 Innsbruck | 13 | 6 | 8 | 27 | |
| 1980 Lake Placid | 10 | 6 | 6 | 22 | |
| 1984 Sarajevo | 6 | 10 | 9 | 25 | |
| 1988 Calgary | 11 | 9 | 9 | 29 | |
| Total | 78 | 57 | 59 | 194 |
Medals by summer sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gymnastics | 73 | 67 | 44 | 184 |
| Athletics | 65 | 55 | 75 | 195 |
| Wrestling | 62 | 31 | 23 | 116 |
| Weightlifting | 39 | 21 | 2 | 62 |
| Canoeing | 29 | 13 | 9 | 51 |
| Fencing | 18 | 15 | 16 | 49 |
| Shooting | 17 | 15 | 17 | 49 |
| Boxing | 14 | 19 | 18 | 51 |
| Swimming | 13 | 21 | 26 | 60 |
| Rowing | 12 | 20 | 10 | 42 |
| Cycling | 11 | 4 | 8 | 23 |
| Volleyball | 7 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| Equestrian | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 |
| Judo | 5 | 5 | 13 | 23 |
| Modern pentathlon | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| Sailing | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Basketball | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Handball | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Diving | 3 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| Water polo | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Football | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Archery | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Field hockey | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 395 | 319 | 296 | 1010 |
Medals by winter sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-country skiing | 25 | 22 | 21 | 68 |
| Speed skating | 24 | 17 | 19 | 60 |
| Figure skating | 10 | 9 | 5 | 24 |
| Biathlon | 9 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| Ice hockey | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Luge | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Bobsleigh | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Ski jumping | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nordic combined | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Alpine skiing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 78 | 57 | 59 | 194 |
Soviet Union At The Olympics Media
The Soviet Union team at the opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics, led by Yury Vlasov
Soviet medals at the Summer Olympics 1952–1992
Soviet medals at the Winter Olympics 1956–1992
Related pages
References
Other websites
Media related to Soviet Union at the Olympic Games at Wikimedia Commons
- "The USSR and Olympism" (PDF). Olympic Review. International Olympic Committee (84): 530–557. October 1974. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
- Russian Federation profile at London2012.com Archived 2012-08-01 at the Wayback Machine