List of participating nations at the Winter Olympic Games

This is a list of nations, as represented by National Olympic Committee

National Olympic Committee

National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...

s (NOCs), that have participated in the Winter Olympic Games between 1924 and 2010. The Winter Olympic Games

Winter Olympic Games

The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...

have been held every four years (once during each Olympiad

Olympiad

An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....

) since 1924, except for the cancelled Games of 1940 and 1944, and in 1994 when the Winter Games were moved to the middle of the Olympiad, two years after the previous Games. 103 of the current 205 NOCs have participated in at least one Winter Games, and twelve nations (Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Great Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

) have participated in all twenty-one Winter Games to date. Including continuity from Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

and Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

have also been represented in every edition.

Origin and early Games

The first winter sport to be contested at the modern Olympic Games

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

was figure skating

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

at the 1908 Games

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...

in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. A total of 21 skaters from six countries (Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Germany

German Empire

The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

, Great Britain

United Kingdom

, Sweden

Sweden

, Russia

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

, and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

) competed in four events

Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics

At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, four figure skating events were contested. This took place at the Prince's Skating Club, in the district of Knightsbridge...

on October 28–29.
Skating was not in the program of the 1912 Summer Olympics

1912 Summer Olympics

The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...

in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, but returned for the 1920 Games

1920 Summer Olympics

The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....

in Antwerp. Ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

was also part of the 1920 program of events, with seven teams competing.

The first Winter Games

1924 Winter Olympics

The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...

were held in 1924, in Chamonix

Chamonix

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...

, France

France

. They were originally called International Winter Sports Week and held in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics

1924 Summer Olympics

The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...

, but were in retrospect designated by the International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

(IOC) as the I Olympic Winter Games.
Sixteen nations participated in these Games: fourteen from Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

and two from North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

.
Four years later, 25 nations were represented at the 1928 Winter Olympics

1928 Winter Olympics

The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...

, in St. Moritz

St. Moritz

St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

, including Argentina

Argentina

(the first nation from the Southern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...

), Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

(the first Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n nation), and Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.
Participation in the 1932 Games

1932 Winter Olympics

The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...

, held in Lake Placid

Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, during the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, was reduced to 17 nations.
The 1936 Winter Games

1936 Winter Olympics

The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...

, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, had 28 participating nations, the largest number to that date.
These would be the last Winter Games for twelve years, as the planned 1940 Games

1940 Winter Olympics

The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...

and 1944 Games

1944 Winter Olympics

The anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games , were to be celebrated in February 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...

were cancelled due to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

Post-war years and Cold War era

After the war, 28 nations would return to St. Moritz for the 1948 Winter Olympics

1948 Winter Olympics

The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...

, but not Germany or Japan, who were not invited because of their roles in the war.
The 1952 Winter Games

1952 Winter Olympics

The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city wanted to host the 1948 Games, but World War II made that impossible...

in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Norway

Norway

, featured 30 participating nations.
The 1956 Games

1956 Winter Olympics

The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...

in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...

, Italy

Italy

, marked the Winter Games debut of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, along with 31 other nations.
The NOCs of East Germany and West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

would be represented by a single German team

United Team of Germany

The Unified Team of Germany , competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympic Games as a united team of athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic...

, an arrangement that would continue until 1964.
Thirty nations would participate at the 1960 Winter Olympics

1960 Winter Olympics

The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...

in Squaw Valley

Squaw Valley Ski Resort

Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , with 33 chairlifts, and has the only funitel lift in the U.S...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, including South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, the first Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

n nation to participate in the Winter Games.
Thirty-six nations were represented in Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

, Austria

Austria

, in 1964

1964 Winter Olympics

The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...

.

The 1968 Winter Olympics

1968 Winter Olympics

The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...

in Grenoble

Grenoble

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...

, France

France

, marked the first time that East Germany and West Germany competed as independent teams, two of the 37 nations that took part.
The Games of 1972

1972 Winter Olympics

The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...

were held in Sapporo, Japan

Japan

, the first time the Winter Games were held outside of Europe or the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. A total of 35 nations were represented, including the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, the first appearance by a southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

n nation.
The Winter Games returned to Innsbruck

1976 Winter Olympics

The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...

, in 1976, with 37 participating nations.

Lake Placid was once again

1980 Winter Olympics

The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...

the site of the Winter Games, in 1980, with 37 competing nations.
The People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

made their Olympic debut but, in response, the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

boycotted the Games, after participating in 1972 and 1976.
Sarajevo

Sarajevo

Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....

, SFR Yugoslavia

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

was host to the 1984 Winter Olympics

1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...

, which welcomed 49 nations.
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

and the Virgin Islands

United States Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

were the first two Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

NOCs to compete in the Winter Games.
Several more tropical nations would participate at the 1988 Winter Olympics

1988 Winter Olympics

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...

, in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Canada

Canada

, including the famed Jamaican Bobsled Team.

Recent Games

The post-Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

events of the early 1990s led to a large increase in participating nations at the Olympics. At the 1992 Games

1992 Winter Olympics

The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...

, in Albertville

Albertville

Albertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...

, France

France

, a total of 64 NOCs were represented, including a single Germany team—following the German reunification

German reunification

German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...

in 1990—and a Unified Team

Unified Team

The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The IOC country code was EUN, after the French name, Équipe Unifiée...

composed of six of the ex-republics of the Soviet Union

Republics of the Soviet Union

The Republics of the Soviet Union or the Union Republics of the Soviet Union were ethnically-based administrative units that were subordinated directly to the Government of the Soviet Union...

.
The Baltic states

Baltic states

The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...

competed independently for the first time since 1936, and some of the ex-Yugoslav nations started to compete independently in 1992.

In October 1986, the IOC had voted to hold the Olympic Winter Games half-way through the four-year Olympiad, rather than in the same year as the summer Games, and this change started with the XVIIth Olympic Winter Games

1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...

in 1994 in Lillehammer

Lillehammer

is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...

, Norway

Norway

. A total of 67 nations took part, including the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

and Slovakia

Slovakia

as independent teams, and each of the ex-Soviet nations.

The Winter Games have continued to grow in the recent past, with 72 nations at the 1998 Winter Olympics

1998 Winter Olympics

The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...

, in Nagano, Japan

Japan

,
77 nations at the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

, in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

, United States,
and 80 nations at the 2006 Winter Olympics

2006 Winter Olympics

The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

, in Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, Italy

Italy

.
A total of 82 nations are expected to compete at the 2010 Games

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, Canada

Canada

Description

This list includes 103 of the 205 current NOCs, arranged alphabetically. The three-letter country code is also listed for each NOC. Since the 1960s, these codes have been frequently used by the IOC and each Games organizing committee to identify NOCs, such as within the official report of each Games.

Several nations have changed during their Olympic history; these are explained by footnotes linked within the table itself. A select number of historical nations are also included in the table to more clearly illustrate past Olympic appearances for their successor nations:

Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

— now represented by fifteen successor NOCs, fourteen of which have competed in the Winter Games
East Germany and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

— participated as two distinct teams for six Olympiads, but also together as a united team for three Olympiads
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

— now represented by two successor NOCs
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

— now represented by six successor NOCs, all of which have competed in the Winter Games
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...

— now represented by two separate NOCs

Table legend

24		In the table headings, indicates the Games year, from 1924 through 2010
•		Participated in the specified Games
H		Host nation for the specified Games
^[A]		Additional explanatory comments at the linked footnote
		The planned Games of 1940 and 1944 were cancelled due to World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
		NOC superseded or preceded by other NOC(s) during these years

Alphabetical list

Contents:		A B C D E F G H I J K L M N P R S T U V Y

A

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Albania	ALB																				•	•
Algeria	ALG																•				•	•
American Samoa	ASA																	•
Andorra	AND												•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Argentina	ARG		•			•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Armenia	ARM	see Soviet Union																•	•	•	•	•
Australia	AUS				•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Austria	AUT	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Azerbaijan	AZE	see Soviet Union																	•	•	•	•

B

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Belarus	BLR	see Soviet Union																•	•	•	•	•
Belgium	BEL	•	•	•	•	•	•	•		•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Bermuda	BER																•	•	•	•	•	•
Bolivia	BOL							•						•	•	•	•
Bosnia and Herzegovina	BIH	see Yugoslavia																•	•	•	•	•
Brazil	BRA																•	•	•	•	•	•
Bulgaria	BUL				•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•

C

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Cameroon	CMR																			•
Canada	CAN	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H
Cayman Islands	CAY																					•
Chile	CHI					•	•	•	•	•	•		•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
align=left	\|CHN													•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Chinese Taipei	TPE											•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Colombia	COL																					•
Costa Rica	CRC													•	•	•	•				•
Croatia	CRO	see Yugoslavia															•	•	•	•	•	•
Cyprus	CYP													•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Czech Republic	CZE	see Czechoslovakia																•	•	•	•	•
Czechoslovakia	TCH	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•

D

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	40	44	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Denmark	DEN							•	•		•	•	•					•	•	•	•	•	•	•

E

Nation	Code	28	36	48	84	92	94	98	02	06	10
Egypt	EGY				•
Estonia	EST	•	•	see Soviet Union		•	•	•	•	•	•
Ethiopia	ETH									•	•

F

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Fiji	FIJ															•		•		•
Finland	FIN	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
France	FRA	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•

G

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Georgia (country)	GEO	see Soviet Union																•	•	•	•	•
Germany	GER		•	•	H		•										•	•	•	•	•	•
German Democratic Republic	GDR										•	•	•	•	•	•
West Germany	FRG										•	•	•	•	•	•
Ghana	GHA																					•
United Kingdom	GBR	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Greece	GRE				•	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Guam	GUM															•
Guatemala	GUA															•

H

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Honduras	HON																•
Hong Kong	HKG																			•	•	•
Hungary	HUN	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•

I

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Iceland	ISL					•	•	•	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
India	IND									•	•					•	•		•	•	•	•
Iran	IRI							•		•	•	•	•						•	•	•	•
Republic of Ireland	IRL																•		•	•	•	•
Israel	ISR																	•	•	•	•	•
Italy	ITA	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•

J

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	40	44	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Jamaica	JAM																	•	•	•	•	•		•
Japan	JPN		•	•	•				•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•

K

Nation	Code	24	48	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Kazakhstan	KAZ	see Soviet Union												•	•	•	•	•
Kenya	KEN														•	•	•
North Korea	PRK					•		•			•	•	•		•		•	•
South Korea	KOR		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Kyrgyzstan	KGZ	see Soviet Union												•	•	•	•	•

L

Nation	Code	24	28	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Latvia	LAT	•	•	•	see Soviet Union											•	•	•	•	•	•
Lebanon	LIB				•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•			•	•	•
Liechtenstein	LIE			•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Lithuania	LTU		•		see Soviet Union											•	•	•	•	•	•
Luxembourg	LUX		•	•											•	•	•	•		•

M

Nation	Code	24	28	48	64	68	72	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Republic of Macedonia	MKD	see Yugoslavia											•	•	•	•
Madagascar	MAD														•
Mexico	MEX		•						•	•	•	•		•		•
Moldova	MDA	see Romania		see Soviet Union								•	•	•	•	•
Monaco	MON								•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Mongolia	MGL				•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Montenegro	MNE	see Yugoslavia										see SCG				•
Morocco	MAR					•			•	•	•					•

N

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Nepal	NEP																			•	•	•
Netherlands	NED		•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Netherlands Antilles	AHO															•	•
New Zealand	NZL						•		•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Norway	NOR	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•

P

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Pakistan	PAK																					•
Peru	PER																					•
Philippines	PHI											•				•	•
Poland	POL	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Portugal	POR						•									•		•	•		•	•
Puerto Rico	PUR														•	•	•	•	•	•

R

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	40	44	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Romania	ROU		•	•	•			•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Russia	RUS	see Soviet Union																		•	•	•	•	•

S

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
San Marino	SMR												•		•	•	•	•		•	•	•
Senegal	SEN														•		•	•			•	•
Serbia	SRB	see Yugoslavia																see SCG				•
Serbia and Montenegro	SCG	see Yugoslavia																	•	•	•
Slovakia	SVK	see Czechoslovakia																•	•	•	•	•
Slovenia	SLO	see Yugoslavia															•	•	•	•	•	•
South Africa	RSA								•									•	•	•	•	•
Soviet Union	URS							•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Spain	ESP				•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Swaziland	SWZ																•
Sweden	SWE	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Switzerland	SUI	•	H	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•

T

Nation	Code	24	36	48	56	60	64	68	76	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Tajikistan	TJK	see Soviet Union													•	•	•
Thailand	THA														•	•
Trinidad and Tobago	TRI												•	•	•
Turkey	TUR		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•

U

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Ukraine	UKR	see Soviet Union																•	•	•	•	•
United States	USA	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•
Uruguay	URU																		•
Uzbekistan	UZB	see Soviet Union																•	•	•	•	•

V

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	40	44	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Venezuela	VEN																				•	•	•
United States Virgin Islands	ISV																•	•	•	•	•	•

Y

Nation	Code	24	28	32	36	40	44	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	YUG	•	•		•			•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•

Name changes

Participation notes

Germany participated as a United Team
United Team of Germany
The Unified Team of Germany , competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympic Games as a united team of athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic...

, representing the National Olympic Committees of both West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

and East Germany, for the Games of 1956–1964. Retrospectively, the IOC uses the country code EUA for this team.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...

in 1991, nine of the fifteen ex-republics of the Soviet Union
Republics of the Soviet Union
The Republics of the Soviet Union or the Union Republics of the Soviet Union were ethnically-based administrative units that were subordinated directly to the Government of the Soviet Union...

were represented at the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...

. Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

, and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

participated as independent teams, and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....

participated as a combined Unified Team
Unified Team
The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The IOC country code was EUN, after the French name, Équipe Unifiée...

(EUN).

A single speed skater from Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

registered for the 1924 Winter Olympics
1924 Winter Olympics
The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...

and carried the flag in the opening ceremonies, but did not compete.

Anne Abernathy
Anne Abernathy
Anne Abernathy is a luge athlete from the United States Virgin Islands and is the oldest female athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics. The 2006 Winter Olympics were her sixth. Despite her age, she is a consistent competitor with frequent World Cup podium finishes, and she is consistently...

was the lone competitor from the Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

, but withdrew from the women's luge
Luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics - Women's singles
The women's luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics began on February 13, and was completed on February 14 at Cesana Pariol.-Results:Runs 1 and 2 were held on February 13, and runs 3 and 4 on February 14. The women's luge event was plagued with injury resulting from five separate crashes and many near...

event after injuring herself during a practice run.

External links

Olympic Games. International Olympic Committee
Olympic Review and Revue Olympique. LA84 Foundation

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Origin and early Games

Post-war years and Cold War era

Recent Games

Description

Table legend

Alphabetical list

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

P

R

S

T

U

V

Y

Name changes

Participation notes

See also

External links