Germany at the Olympics

Athletes from Germany have taken part in most of the Olympic Games since the first modern Games in 1896, scoring over 500 Gold medals, second only to the USA. Germany has hosted three Olympic Games, in 1936 both the Winter and Summer Games, and the 1972 Summer Olympics. In addition, Germany had been selected to host the 1916 Summer Olympics as well as the 1940 Winter Olympics, which both had to be canceled due to World Wars. After these wars, in 1920, 1924 and 1948, Germans were banned from participating, and while being divided, each German state has chosen to boycott once in the early 1980s.

Including 2006, Germans have won 1548 medals, 503 gold, 5199778 silver and 526 bronze, see All-time Olympic Games medal count. The IOC currently splits these results among four codes, even though only the East German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1968 to 1988 had sent a separate team to compete against the team of the German NOC that represented Germany (GER) since 1896.

German post-WW2 division until 1990

After German organisations had been dissolved by the Allies in 1947, the IOC in 1950 recognized the reorganized Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland for all of Germany, based in (West) Germany.

Due to the Cold War, a second East German state (German Democratic Republic) was created in October 1949, and a separate National Olympic Committee (NOC) for East Germany was created in 1951. It was not recognized by the IOC which until 1965 required that athletes of the NOC of East Germany join the German team represented by the NOC of (West) Germany. This team, which competed together from 1956 to 1964, is nowadays called the United Team of Germany ("EUA", "Equipe Unifiée Allemande"), but was Germany ("GER") then. As a result of the Berlin Wall dividing Germany, since 1968 two independent teams competed at each Games, designated "GER" for the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and "GDR" for the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). In 1980 the West Germany code was changed to "FRG" (which is nowadays also applied by the IOC in retrospect). After the GDR ceased to exist in 1990 when its states joined the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany once again was represented by a single team (designated "GER", as usual).

Additionally, in the early 1950s the French-occupied Saar had its own NOC and competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics before joining the German Olympic team in 1956, and the (West) German state by 1957.

Germany at Olympia

The history of Germany at Olympia predates the First Olympics of 1896, as exclusive access rights to excavate the ancient Greek site have been granted to German Empire archaeologists in 1874. Since 1875, systematic excavations are undertaken by several German expeditions and initiatives.

Nadine Kleinert won a silver medal at the ancient site as the shot put contests of the 2004 Summer Olympics were held there.

See also

For more information, please see:
*Germany at the Summer Olympics
*Germany at the Winter Olympics
*East Germany at the Olympics
*Saar at the 1952 Summer Olympics
*All-time Olympic Games medal count

External links

* [http://www.dhm.de/~jarmer/olympiaheft/olympi1.htm Chronology of Germany at the Olympics]
* [http://www.la84foundation.org/5va/reports_frmst.htm Official Olympic Reports]