Spain at the Olympics

Spain participated for the first time in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. The second participation took place only in 1920 in Antwerp. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin were boycotted by the Republican government, moreover, the country was in civil war. The 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne were also boycotted, due to the bloody crushing of the Hungarian People's Uprising by the troops of the Soviet Union just a few weeks earlier, however Spain had already participated in the equestrian competitions in Stockholm in June of the same year.

Spain's first participation in the Winter Olympics was in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936. Since then, the country has always been represented.

The Comité Olímpico Español (COE, Spanish Olympic Committee) was founded in 1924 and became part of the International Olympic Committee in the same year.

Host

Spain has hosted games once so far. Barcelona's bid for the 1992 Summer Games beat out competitors Paris, Amsterdam, Belgrade, Birmingham and Brisbane.

Successful applications

• Barcelona 1992 (summer)

Failed applications

• Barcelona 1924 (summer)
• Barcelona 1936 (summer)
• Barcelona 1940 (summer)
• Madrid 1972 (summer)
• Granada 1976 (winter)
• Jaca 1998 (winter)
• Jaca 2002 (winter)
• Seville 2004 (Summer)
• Seville 2008 (Summer)
• Jaca 2010 (Winter)
• Madrid 2012 (Summer)
• Jaca 2014 (Winter)
• Madrid 2016 (Summer)
• Madrid 2020 (Summer)

Medal Balances

Summer Olympics

In a total of 22 participations in Summer Games, Spanish athletes have so far won 150 medals; 45 times gold, 64 times silver and 41 times bronze. The first medal recognized by the International Olympic Committee was won by Francisco Villota and José de Amézola, who won gold in the pelota doubles in 1900. However, the Spanish Olympic Committee continues to list Pedro Pidal, Marqués de Villaviciosa with silver in pigeon shooting as the first Spanish medalist, citing data from the Spanish Olympic Academy. This different view stems from the fact that these Games took place in the context of the Paris World's Fair, which led to problems in the later reappraisal of the events and their classification in the Olympic history. Statistically, these games have an official view, that of the IOC, and a view enhanced by historical facts, which has led to numerous divergent publications, especially when it comes to counting participants, nations and medals.

Winter Olympics

In a total of 17 participations in Winter Games, Spanish athletes have so far won two medals; in 1972 in Sapporo, Francisco Fernández Ochoa won gold in the slalom, while his younger sister Blanca Fernández Ochoa also won the bronze medal in the slalom in Albertville in 1992. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, German-born cross-country skier Johann Mühlegg won three gold medals for Spain. However, he was subsequently stripped of these for taking the doping drug Darbepoetin α. Then in 2018, snowboard crosser Regino Hernández took bronze.

Medals by sport

The greatest successes of Spanish athletes at the Olympics have been in sailing, with 13 gold, five silver and one bronze medal to date. In cycling, Spanish athletes have stood on the podium a total of fourteen times, in canoeing and athletics twelve times, and in tennis eleven times.

Medalist

See: List of Olympic medalists from Spain.