United States at the Olympics

See also: United States at the Summer Olympics and United States at the Winter Olympics

Sporting event delegation

United States at the
Olympics

Flag of the United States

IOC code| USA
NOC| United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Website| www.teamusa.org
Medals
Ranked 1st|

Gold
1,219
Silver
1,000
Bronze
876
Total
3,095
Summer appearances

* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Winter appearances

* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1994
* 1998
* 2002
* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022
* 2026

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 2,765 medals (1,105 of them gold) at the Summer Olympic Games, and another 330 (114 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][2][3][4][5][6]

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.[7][8][9][10][11]

## Hosted Games

[edit]

Swimmer Michael Phelps and President George W. Bush on August 10, 2008, at the National Aquatic Center in Beijing. Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time.[12][13] 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.

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, for instance, set new standards for opening and closing ceremonies. Even when not hosting, the U.S. has played a crucial role in the administration and promotion of the Olympics through organizations like the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and its participation in the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Hosting the Olympics has 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.

Games | Host city | Dates | Nations | Participants | Events

|
|
|
|
|

1904 Summer Olympics | St. Louis, Missouri | July 1 – November 23 | 12 | 666 | 95
1932 Winter Olympics | Lake Placid, New York | February 7 – 15 | 17 | 252 | 14
1932 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, California | July 30 – August 14 | 37 | 1,332 | 117
1960 Winter Olympics | Squaw Valley, California | February 18 – 28 | 30 | 665 | 27
1980 Winter Olympics | Lake Placid, New York | February 13 – 24 | 37 | 1,072 | 38
1984 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, California | July 28 – August 12 | 140 | 6,829 | 221
1996 Summer Olympics | Atlanta, Georgia | July 19 – August 4 | 197 | 10,318 | 271
2002 Winter Olympics | Salt Lake City, Utah | February 8 – 24 | 77 | 2,399 | 78
2028 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, California | July 14 – 30 | TBA | TBA | TBA
2034 Winter Olympics | Salt Lake City, Utah | February 10 – 26 | TBA | TBA | TBA

### Unsuccessful bids

[edit]

Games  | City  | Winner of bid[14]

|
|

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]

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

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.[15][16] 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

Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Gold medal | Total medal

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1896 Athens | 14 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 2
1900 Paris | 75 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 48 | 2 | 2
1904 St. Louis | 526 | 76 | 78 | 77 | 231 | 1 | 1
1908 London | 122 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 47 | 2 | 2
1912 Stockholm | 174 | 26 | 19 | 19 | 64 | 1 | 2
1920 Antwerp | 288 | 41 | 27 | 27 | 95 | 1 | 1
1924 Paris | 299 | 45 | 27 | 27 | 99 | 1 | 1
1928 Amsterdam | 280 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 56 | 1 | 1
1932 Los Angeles | 474 | 44 | 36 | 30 | 110 | 1 | 1
1936 Berlin | 359 | 24 | 21 | 12 | 57 | 2 | 2
1948 London | 300 | 38 | 27 | 19 | 84 | 1 | 1
1952 Helsinki | 286 | 40 | 19 | 17 | 76 | 1 | 1
1956 Melbourne | 297 | 32 | 25 | 17 | 74 | 2 | 2
1960 Rome | 292 | 34 | 21 | 16 | 71 | 2 | 2
1964 Tokyo | 346 | 36 | 26 | 28 | 90 | 1 | 2
1968 Mexico City | 357 | 45 | 28 | 34 | 107 | 1 | 1
1972 Munich | 400 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 94 | 2 | 2
1976 Montreal | 396 | 34 | 35 | 25 | 94 | 3 | 2
1980 Moscow | Did not participate
1984 Los Angeles | 522 | 83 | 61 | 30 | 174 | 1 | 1
1988 Seoul | 527 | 36 | 31 | 27 | 94 | 3 | 3
1992 Barcelona | 545 | 37 | 34 | 37 | 108 | 2 | 2
1996 Atlanta | 646 | 44 | 32 | 25 | 101 | 1 | 1
2000 Sydney | 586 | 37 | 24 | 32 | 93 | 1 | 1
2004 Athens | 533 | 36 | 39 | 26 | 101 | 1 | 1
2008 Beijing | 588 | 36 | 39 | 37 | 112 | 2 | 1
2012 London | 530 | 48 | 26 | 31 | 105 | 1 | 1
2016 Rio de Janeiro | 554 | 46 | 37 | 38 | 121 | 1 | 1
2020 Tokyo | 615 | 39 | 41 | 33 | 113 | 1 | 1
2024 Paris | 592 | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 | 1 | 1
2028 Los Angeles | Future event
2032 Brisbane | Future event
Total (29/30) | 11,523 | 1,105 | 879 | 781 | 2,765 | 1 | 1

### Medals by Winter Games

[edit]

Host country

Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Gold medal | Total medal

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1924 Chamonix | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3
1928 St. Moritz | 24 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2
1932 Lake Placid | 64 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 55 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 6
1948 St. Moritz | 69 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 4
1952 Oslo | 65 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 2
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | 67 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 5
1960 Squaw Valley | 79 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 2
1964 Innsbruck | 89 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8
1968 Grenoble | 95 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 8
1972 Sapporo | 103 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 6
1976 Innsbruck | 106 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 3
1980 Lake Placid | 101 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 3
1984 Sarajevo | 107 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 4
1988 Calgary | 118 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 9
1992 Albertville | 147 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 6
1994 Lillehammer | 147 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 5
1998 Nagano | 186 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 6
2002 Salt Lake City | 202 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 34 | 3 | 2
2006 Turin | 204 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 2 | 2
2010 Vancouver | 212 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 37 | 3 | 1
2014 Sochi | 222 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 28 | 4 | 2
2018 Pyeongchang | 241 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 23 | 4 | 4
2022 Beijing | 224 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 3 | 4
2026 Milano Cortina | Future event
2030 French Alps
2034 Salt Lake City | Future event
Total (24/24) | 2,951 | 114 | 121 | 95 | 330 | 2 | 2

### Best results

[edit]

#### Summer Olympics

[edit]

* Gold medals – 83 (1984 Summer Olympics), Olympic record
* Total medals – 231 (1904 Summer Olympics), Olympic record

#### Winter Olympics

[edit]

* Gold medals – 10 (2002 Winter Olympics)
* Total medals – 37 (2010 Winter Olympics)

|

### Medals by summer sport

[edit]

Leading in that sport

Sport| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|

Athletics| 358| 280| 224| 862
Swimming| 265| 191| 150| 606
Shooting| 58| 34| 29| 121
Wrestling| 57| 46| 42| 145
Boxing| 50| 27| 41| 118
Diving| 49| 47| 46| 142
Artistic gymnastics| 40| 44| 42| 126
Rowing| 34| 32| 25| 91
Basketball| 27| 2| 3| 32
Tennis| 21| 7| 13| 41
Cycling| 20| 24| 22| 66
Sailing| 19| 23| 20| 62
Weightlifting| 17| 17| 12| 46
Archery| 14| 11| 10| 35
Equestrian| 11| 24| 20| 55
Beach volleyball| 7| 2| 2| 11
Fencing| 6| 12| 19| 37
Canoeing| 6| 6| 7| 19
Golf| 6| 3| 5| 14
Artistic swimming| 5| 3| 2| 10
Football| 5| 2| 2| 9
Water polo| 4| 6| 6| 16
Volleyball| 4| 4| 5| 13
Taekwondo| 3| 2| 6| 11
Softball| 3| 2| 0| 5
Judo| 2| 4| 8| 14
Rugby| 2| 0| 1| 3
Surfing| 2| 0| 0| 2
Triathlon| 1| 2| 2| 5
Baseball| 1| 1| 2| 4
Roque | 1| 1| 1| 3
Tug of war | 1| 1| 0| 2
3x3 basketball| 1| 0| 1| 2
Jeu de paume | 1| 0| 0| 1
Modern pentathlon| 0| 6| 3| 9
Skateboarding| 0| 2| 3| 5
Sport climbing| 0| 2| 1| 3
Polo | 0| 1| 1| 2
Lacrosse| 0| 1| 0| 1
Marathon swimming | 0| 1| 0| 1
Field hockey| 0| 0| 2| 2
Breaking| 0| 0| 1| 1
Karate| 0| 0| 1| 1
Totals (43 entries)| 1,101| 873| 780| 2,754

Updated on November 16, 2024

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

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]

Leading in that sport

Sport| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|

Speed skating| 30| 22| 19| 71
Alpine skiing| 17| 21| 10| 48
Figure skating| 17| 16| 21| 54
Snowboarding| 17| 8| 10| 35
Freestyle skiing| 11| 13| 9| 33
Bobsleigh| 8| 11| 9| 28
Ice hockey| 4| 12| 2| 18
Short track speed skating | 4| 7| 9| 20
Skeleton| 3| 4| 1| 8
Nordic combined| 1| 3| 0| 4
Cross-country skiing| 1| 2| 1| 4
Curling| 1| 0| 1| 2
Luge| 0| 3| 3| 6
Ski jumping| 0| 0| 1| 1
Totals (14 entries)| 114| 122| 96| 332

Updated on December 31, 2021

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

The United States has never won an Olympic medal in the following current winter sport: biathlon.

### Best results in non-medaling sports

[edit]

Summer

Sport  | Rank  | Athlete  | Event & Year
Badminton | 8th | Howard Bach &
Bob Malaythong | Men's doubles in 2008
Handball | 5th | United States women's team | Women's tournament in 1984
Rhythmic gymnastics | 9th | Mandy James
Alaine Mata-Baquerot
Kate Nelson
Brandi Siegel
Challen Sievers
Becky Turner | Women's group in 1996
Table tennis | 6th | Gao Jun
Crystal Huang
Wang Chen | Women's team in 2008
Trampoline gymnastics | 6th | Savannah Vinsant | Women's individual in 2012
Nicole Ahsinger | Women's individual in 2020
Winter
Sport  | Rank  | Athlete  | Event & Year
Biathlon | 6th | Lowell Bailey
Tim Burke
Sean Doherty
Leif Nordgren | Men's relay in 2018

## Flagbearers

[edit]

See also: List of flag bearers for the United States at the Olympics

Summer Olympics  | Games  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

1908 London | Ralph Rose | Athletics
1912 Stockholm | George Bonhag | Athletics
1920 Antwerp | Pat McDonald | Athletics
1924 Paris | Pat McDonald | Athletics
1928 Amsterdam | Bud Houser | Athletics
1932 Los Angeles | Morgan Taylor | Athletics
1936 Berlin | Al Jochim | Gymnastics
1948 London | Ralph Craig | Sailing
1952 Helsinki | Norman Armitage | Fencing
1956 Melbourne | Norman Armitage[17] | Fencing
1960 Rome | Rafer Johnson | Athletics
1964 Tokyo | Parry O'Brien | Athletics
1968 Mexico City | Janice Romary[18] | Fencing
1972 Munich | Olga Fikotová | Athletics
1976 Montreal | Gary Hall, Sr. | Swimming
1980 Moscow | Did not participate
1984 Los Angeles | Ed Burke | Athletics
1988 Seoul | Evelyn Ashford | Athletics
1992 Barcelona | Francie Larrieu Smith | Athletics
1996 Atlanta | Bruce Baumgartner | Wrestling
2000 Sydney | Cliff Meidl | Canoeing
2004 Athens | Dawn Staley | Basketball
2008 Beijing | Lopez Lomong | Athletics
2012 London | Mariel Zagunis | Fencing
2016 Rio de Janeiro | Michael Phelps | Swimming
2020 Tokyo | Eddy Alvarez | Baseball
Sue Bird | Basketball
2024 Paris | LeBron James | Basketball
Coco Gauff | Tennis
Winter Olympics  | Games  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

1924 Chamonix | Clarence Abel | Ice hockey
1928 St. Moritz | Godfrey Dewey | Cross-country skiing (team manager)
1932 Lake Placid | Billy Fiske | Bobsleigh
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Rolf Monsen | Cross-country skiing
1948 St. Moritz | Jack Heaton | Skeleton & Bobsleigh
1952 Oslo | Jim Bickford | Bobsleigh
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | Jim Bickford | Bobsleigh
1960 Squaw Valley | Don McDermott | Speed skating
1964 Innsbruck | Bill Disney | Speed skating
1968 Grenoble | Terry McDermott | Speed skating
1972 Sapporo | Dianne Holum | Speed skating
1976 Innsbruck | Cindy Nelson | Alpine skiing
1980 Lake Placid | Scott Hamilton | Figure skating
1984 Sarajevo | Frank Masley | Luge
1988 Calgary | Lyle Nelson | Biathlon
1992 Albertville | Bill Koch | Cross-country skiing
1994 Lillehammer | Cammy Myler | Luge
1998 Nagano | Eric Flaim | Speed Skating
2002 Salt Lake City | Amy Peterson | Short track speed skating
2006 Turin | Chris Witty | Speed skating
2010 Vancouver | Mark Grimmette | Luge
2014 Sochi | Todd Lodwick | Nordic combined
2018 Pyeongchang | Erin Hamlin | Luge
2022 Beijing | Brittany Bowe | Speed Skating
John Shuster | Curling

## History

[edit]

For the early history, see History of the United States at the Olympics.

### Recent period (1994–present)

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

|

Amy Van Dyken's achievements in swimming, particularly her historic performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, make her one of the greatest American swimmers of that time.

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.

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.[19] The opening ceremony flag-bearers for the United States were baseball player Eddy Alvarez and basketball player Sue Bird.[20] Javelin thrower Kara Winger was the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.[21] When USA Gymnastics announced that 2016 Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles would not participate in the gymnastics all-around final, 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 stunned the world to secure victory in 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.

Katie Ledecky accepts the award for "Female Athlete of the Olympic Games." She has earned multiple gold medals in freestyle swimming events in 2012–24.

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.[22] 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]

U.S. President George W. Bush visits Misty May-Treanor (left) and Kerri Walsh Jennings (right) at the 2008 Olympics. In 2012, the duo became the first beach volleyball team (male or female) to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals.

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.[23]

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.[24][25][26] 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.[27][28][29]

## 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.[30] The USOPC increased the payouts by 25% to $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze beginning in 2017.[31] 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.[32][33] 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."[34]

### 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.[35][36][11] 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."[11]

## Doping

[edit]

United States has had eight Olympic medals stripped for doping violations. In all cases, the US government or the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) had nothing to do with it, and 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,[37] but only the IOC has the power to restore his medal, and it has as of 2024 refused to do so.[37] DeMont originally won the gold medal in 4:00.26. Following the race, the IOC stripped him of his gold medal[38] 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.[39][37]

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.[40][41][42][43] 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.[44][45]

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.[46] 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.[47]

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.[44] 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).[44] 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.[48][49] 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.[44][50] 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."[44] 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".[51][52]

### Disqualified medalists

[edit]

Main article: List of stripped Olympic medals

The United States has had eight Olympic medals stripped, which is fifth in the ranking of countries with the most stripped medals.[53]

* 1972 Summer Olympics, Rick DeMont – first place, gold medalist, Swimming, Men's 400 m freestyle[54]
* 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – first place, gold medalist, Athletics, Women's 100 m[55]
* 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – first place, gold medalist, Athletics, Women's 200 m[55]
* 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – third place, bronze medalist, Athletics, Women's long jump[55]
* 2000 Summer Olympics, Relay team (Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young) – first place, gold medalists, Athletics, Men's 4 × 400 m relay[56]
* 2000 Summer Olympics, Lance Armstrong – third place, bronze medalist, Cycling, Men's road time trial[57]
* 2004 Summer Olympics, Tyler Hamilton – first place, gold medalist, Cycling, Men's road time trial[58]
* 2012 Summer Olympics, Relay team (Tyson Gay) – second place, silver medalist, Athletics, Men's 4 × 100 m relay[59]

## See also

[edit]

* List of United States Olympic medalists
* United States at the Paralympics
* United States at the Summer Olympics
* United States at the Winter Olympics
* United States at the Pan American Games
* Four territories of the United States send independent Olympic teams (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Greatest Sporting Nation". Greatest Sporting Nation.
2. ^ "Top Sporting Nations – Biggest Global Sports". Biggest Global Sports.
3. ^ "Olympics medal table by country". Statista.
4. ^ "1,000 times gold – The thousand medals of Team USA – Washington Post". The Washington Post.
5. ^ "World Ranking of Countries in Elite Sport". World Sport Ranking.
6. ^ "Top 10 Greatest Sports Countries". The Top Tens.
7. ^ "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."
8. ^ Crookston, Paul (August 10, 2016). "U.S. Has Done Fine with No Government Department of Sports". National Review.
9. ^ Hart, Torrey (August 7, 2020). "U.S. Olympic Athletes in Financial Limbo Without Olympics, Events".
10. ^ Bachman, Rachel (April 12, 2020). "WSJ News Exclusive | U.S. Olympic Sports Groups Seek Government Aid". Wall Street Journal - via www.wsj.com.
11. ^ a b c "U.S. Olympic team gets record $100M donation". ESPN.com. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
12. ^ Carter Vaughn Findley; John Alexander Rothney (January 1, 2011). Twentieth-Century World. Cengage Learning. p. 4\. ISBN 978-1-133-16880-5.
13. ^ Belmont and Belcourt Biographies (September 1, 2012). Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte: Unauthorized Biographies. Price World Publishing. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-1-61984-221-2.
14. ^ "Past Olympic host city election results". GamesBids. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
15. ^ J. N. Washburn (July 21, 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times.
16. ^ 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.
17. ^ 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
18. ^ The first female flagbearer for the United States at the Olympics
19. ^ "Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2021 Organising Committee". Olympics. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
20. ^ "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.
21. ^ "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.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
22. ^ Cha, Victor (January 18, 2022). "The Biden Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics".
23. ^ "Jim Thorpe Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
24. ^ "Info" (PDF). www.cia.gov.
25. ^ Washburn, J. N. (July 21, 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times.
26. ^ "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.
27. ^ Soviet Control of Sports CIA
28. ^ Soviet sports as an instrument of political propaganda CIA
29. ^ "The Role of Sports in The Soviet Union – Guided History". blogs.bu.edu.
30. ^ 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
31. ^ "USOC Increases 'Operation Gold' Payouts By 25% Beginning in 2017". Swimswam.com. December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
32. ^ Knight, Brett. "Many Countries Pay Big Bonuses For Olympic Medals. This One Is Shelling Out $2.7 Million". Forbes. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
33. ^ 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.
34. ^ Paralympians to earn equal payouts as Olympians in the USA
35. ^ Golden, Jessica (March 5, 2025). "U.S. Olympic committee announces $100 million grant to fund athletes into their future". CNBC. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
36. ^ 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.
37. ^ a b c "Better late than never". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Associated Press. January 30, 2001. Archived from the original on May 7, 2001.
38. ^ Neil Amdur, "Of Gold and Drugs," The New York Times (September 4, 1972). Retrieved March 16, 2015.
39. ^ Rick DeMont. Sports-Reference.com
40. ^ "U.S. hid failed tests, files reveal". The Globe and Mail. April 17, 2003.
41. ^ "OLYMPICS; Anti-Doping Official Says U.S. Covered Up". The New York Times. April 17, 2003.
42. ^ "American attitude baffles rest of world". ESPN.com. April 29, 2020.
43. ^ "Athletics: Ready, set ... start explaining". The New Zealand Herald. April 25, 2003.
44. ^ a b c d e Abrahamson, Alan (April 23, 2003). "Just a Dash of Drugs in Lewis, DeLoach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
45. ^ "Anti-Doping Official Says U.S. Covered Up". The New York Times. April 17, 2003. p. S6.
46. ^ Mackay, Duncan (April 24, 2003). "Lewis: 'Who cares I failed drug test?'". The Guardian. London.
47. ^ "This idol has feet of clay, after all". Archived from the original on February 22, 2007.
48. ^ Pete McEntegart (April 14, 2003). "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated.
49. ^ "Carl Lewis's positive test covered up". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 18, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
50. ^ Wallechinsky and Loucky, The Complete Book of the Olympics (2012 edition), page 61.
51. ^ "IAAF: USOC followed rules over dope tests". April 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014.
52. ^ Abrahamson, Alan (May 1, 2003). "USOC's Actions on Lewis Justified by IAAF". Los Angeles Times.
53. ^ "Countries With The Most Stripped Olympic Medals". WorldAtlas. June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
54. ^ "Archived copy". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2001. Retrieved February 22, 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
55. ^ a b c "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.
56. ^ "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.
57. ^ IOC statement of Lance Armstrong olympics.com [dead link]
58. ^ "Hamilton stripped of Athens gold". BBC Sport.
59. ^ "IOC strips U.S. relay of silver after Tyson Gay case". May 13, 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* "United States of America". International Olympic Committee. July 27, 2021.
* "United States". Olympedia.com.
* "Olympic Analytics — USA". olympanalyt.com.

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