Greece at the Olympics
Sporting event delegation
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Greece has competed at every Summer Olympic Games, one of five countries to have done so, and most of the Winter Olympic Games. Greece has hosted the modern Olympic Games twice, both in Athens for the Summer Olympic Games, in 1896 and 2004.
Ranked 35th
- Gold
- 36
- Silver
- 46
- Bronze
- 47
- Total
- 129
| Greece at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
| |
| IOC code | GRE |
| NOC | Hellenic Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| Medals Ranked 35th |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games | |
In recognition as the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, Greece always enters the stadium first to lead the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony, with the notable exception of 2004 when Greece entered last as the host nation.[a] Before each Games, the Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia, the site of the Ancient Olympic Games, in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals and initiates the Olympic torch relay. The flag of Greece is always hoisted in the closing ceremony, along with the flags of the current and the next host country.
Greek athletes have won a total of 129 medals in 15 different sports and the country currently ranks 36th in the all-time Summer Olympics medal count. Athletics and weightlifting have been the top medal-producing sports for the nation and in the latter Greece is placed among the top 10 countries overall. Gymnastics, shooting and wrestling are the other sports that have produced ten or more medals for Greece. In the inaugural 1896 Olympics, Greece finished second in the gold medals count, but won the most medals in total, in their best Olympic performance. Greece finished third in the 1906 Intercalated Games with 8 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze medals (35 in total), which were considered Olympic Games at the time but are not officially recognized by the IOC today.
Greece has not won any medals at the Winter Olympics.
Hosted Games
Greece has hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two occasions, the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896 and again in 2004. Both were held in Athens, which along with Los Angeles and Tokyo are the cities that have hosted the Olympic Games twice, with London and Paris being the only two cities to have hosted them three times.
| Games | Host city | Dates | Nations | Participants | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 Summer Olympics | Athens | 6 – 15 April | 14 | 241 | 43 |
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Athens | 13 – 29 August | 201 | 10,625 | 301 |
Athens also hosted the 1906 Intercalated Games, which at the time were considered to be Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee.[2]
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
Host country
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1896 Athens | 212 | 10 | 18 | 19 | 47 | 2 |
 1900 Paris | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1904 St. Louis | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
 1908 London | 20 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
 1912 Stockholm | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
 1920 Antwerp | 57 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 1924 Paris | 39 | 0[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1928 Amsterdam | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1932 Los Angeles | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1936 Berlin | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1948 London | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1952 Helsinki | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1956 Melbourne | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 |
 1960 Rome | 48 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
 1964 Tokyo | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1968 Mexico City | 44 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 |
 1972 Munich | 60 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29 |
 1976 Montreal | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1980 Moscow | 43 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 62 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 30 |
 1988 Seoul | 56 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 46 |
 1992 Barcelona | 70 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26 |
| 1996 Atlanta | 121 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 16 |
| 2000 Sydney | 140 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 17 |
 2004 Athens | 426 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 15 |
 2008 Beijing | 156 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 60 |
| 2012 London | 103 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 77 |
 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 95 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 25 |
| 2020 Tokyo | 83 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 36 |
 2024 Paris | 100 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 51 |
| 2028 Los Angeles | future event | |||||
| 2032 Brisbane | ||||||
| Total (30/30) | 2,229 | 36 | 46 | 47 | 129 | 35 |
Medals by Winter Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1948 St. Moritz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1952 Oslo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1960 Squaw Valley | did not participate | |||||
 1964 Innsbruck | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1968 Grenoble | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972 Sapporo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1976 Innsbruck | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980 Lake Placid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1984 Sarajevo | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988 Calgary | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992 Albertville | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994 Lillehammer | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998 Nagano | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006 Turin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010 Vancouver | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2014 Sochi | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022 Beijing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026 Milano Cortina | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2030 French Alps | future event | |||||
| 2034 Utah | ||||||
| Total (21/25) | 109 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Medals by summer sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Athletics | 9 | 12 | 11 | 32 |
 Weightlifting | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 |
 Gymnastics | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
 Shooting | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
 Sailing | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
 Fencing | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 Swimming | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
 Wrestling | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
 Cycling | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
 Taekwondo | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
 Rowing | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
 Judo | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
 Diving | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Tennis | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Water polo | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals (15 entries) | 36 | 46 | 47 | 129 |
Medal tables by athlete
List of medalists
Athletes with most medals
The table below lists the athletes that have won more than one Olympic medal while competing for Greece. It does not include medals won for other nations and mixed teams. The athletes are shown in order by the number of total medals won; in case of the same number of total medals they are sorted by gold, silver and then bronze medals.
Top medalists
The tables below list the top Olympic medalists for Greece, sorted by gold, silver and then bronze medals.
- Men
| Athlete | Sport | Games |  |
 |
 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyrros Dimas | Weightlifting |
1992–1996–2000–2004 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Akakios Kakiasvilis | Weightlifting |
1996–2000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Miltiadis Tentoglou | Athletics |
2020–2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Konstantinos Tsiklitiras | Athletics |
1908–1912 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Ioannis Frangoudis | Shooting |
1896 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Nikolaos Andriakopoulos | Gymnastics |
1896 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Georgios Orphanidis | Shooting |
1896 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Nikolaos Kaklamanakis | Sailing |
1996–2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Dimosthenis Tampakos | Gymnastics |
2000–2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Eleftherios Petrounias | Gymnastics |
2016–2020-2024 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Ioannis Mitropoulos | Gymnastics |
1896 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ilias Iliadis | Judo |
2004–2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
- Women
| Athlete | Sport | Games | |
|
|
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia Bekatorou | Sailing |
2004–2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Anna Korakaki | Shooting |
2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Voula Patoulidou | Athletics |
1992 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fani Chalkia | Athletics |
2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Emilia Tsoulfa | Sailing |
2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Athanasia Tsoumeleka | Athletics |
2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ekaterini Stefanidi | Athletics |
2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Anastasia Kelesidou | Athletics |
2000–2004 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mirela Maniani | Athletics |
2000–2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Additional disputed medals of 1896
There is confusion about certain results and medals in the first Summer Olympics of 1896. The Hellenic Olympic Committee, claiming different sources, cites in its website some different results for certain events and some additional medals for Greece, which are contradictory to those appearing in the IOC website. They are cited here separately and are not included in any of the other tables.
| Athlete | Sport | Event | Medal according to HOC | Position according to IOC | Medalist according to IOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efstathios Chorafas[9][10][11][12] |  Swimming |
Men's 100 metre freestyle | Silver | Unknown (3 to 6)[13] | Otto Herschmann |
| Konstantinos Akratopoulos[14] - Aristidis Akratopoulos[15] |  Tennis |
Men's doubles | Bronze | 4[16] | Edwin Flack - George Stuart Robertson |
| Aristovoulos Petmezas[17] |  Gymnastics |
Men's horizontal bar | Bronze | Did not participate[18] | None |
| Efstathios Chorafas[9] | Swimming |
Men's 1200 m freestyle | Bronze | Unknown (3 to 5)[19] | None |
| Georgios Paraskevopoulos[20][21] |  Cycling |
12 hour race | Bronze | Did not finish[22] | None |
Summary by sport
Aquatics
Swimming
Greece first competed in swimming at the inaugural 1896 Games, sweeping the top three spots in one event open only to Greek sailors and winning two silver and one bronze medal in international events. Greek swimmers have won only two silver medals since then at the 2016 and 2024 Games.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Rio 2016 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Paris 2024 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
Diving
Greece won a gold medal in Diving at the 2004 Games.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Water Polo
Greece has won silver medals at the 2004 Games (women's) and 2020 Games (men's).
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 2004 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tokyo 2020 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Athletics
Greece first competed in athletics at the first Games in 1896, winning the men's marathon. Since then, Greece have won numerous medals in athletics especially from the 1992 Games through to the 2020 Games, in what is Greece's most successful sport at the Olympic Games.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| St. Louis 1904 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| London 1908 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Stockholm 1912 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Melbourne 1956 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Barcelona 1992 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Atlanta 1996 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sydney 2000 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Athens 2004 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Rio 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tokyo 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Paris 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 9 | 12 | 11 | 32 |
Cycling
Greece competed in all six of the cycling events at the first Games in 1896, winning one event and taking three second-place finishes. As of 2020, those were still the only cycling medals earned by Greek competitors.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Fencing
Greece competed in all three fencing events at the inaugural 1896 Games, winning two (the men's master's foil and the men's sabre) and adding a second-place finish in the men's sabre and third-place in the men's foil. However another bronze medal is considered nowadays in the same event.[8] Those remain the only fencing medals Greece has won to date (through the 2020 Olympics).
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Gymnastics
Greece sent 52 gymnasts to the first Games in 1896 (when team events featured very large teams), winning six medals including two of each color. Since then, Greece have won many medals in Gymnastics from the 1996 Games through to the 2020 Games.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Atlanta 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sydney 2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Athens 2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rio 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tokyo 2020 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Paris 2024 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
Judo
Greece first competed in judo at the 2004 Games and has won three medals since.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| London 2012 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Paris 2024 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Rowing
Greece first won a rowing medal at the 2004 Games and has won more medals since then.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 2004 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Beijing 2008 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| London 2012 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tokyo 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Paris 2024 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Sailing
Greece first competed in the sailing events in 1948 and won its first medal at the 1960 Games and has won numerous medals since then.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Rome | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972 Munich | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 Moscow | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1996 Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 Athens | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 Beijing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 Rio | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
Shooting
Greece competed in all five shooting events at the inaugural 1896 Games, winning three and medaling in the other two (earning a total of 9 medals) and has won shooting medals again from the 2016 Games onwards.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| London 1908 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Antwerp 1920 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rio 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
Tae Kwon Do
Greece first competed in tae kwon do at the 2000 Games and had a notable success during the 2000s decade, winning medals in 3 consecutive Olympic Games.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Athens 2004 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Beijing 2008 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Tennis
Greece first competed in tennis at the inaugural 1896 Games, with seven players competing in men's singles and doubles. Greek players won the silver and bronze medals in the singles; a pair of Greek players combined to win the silver in the doubles, nowadays considered a Greek team and therefore a Greek medal.[7] The 1896 medals remain (through the 2020 Games) the only tennis medals won by Greek players.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Weightlifting
Greece first competed in weightlifting at the inaugural 1896 Games, with three lifters competing. Greek lifters won the bronze medals in both events. Since then, Greek lifters won numerous medals from the 1992 Games through to the 2004 Games, including from Greece's top Olympic medalist Pyrros Dimas.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| St. Louis 1904 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Barcelona 1992 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Atlanta 1996 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Sydney 2000 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Athens 2004 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 |
Wrestling
Greece first competed in wrestling at the inaugural 1896 Games, with two wrestlers competing in the open weight class event and taking the silver and bronze medals. Since then, Greek wrestlers have won medals from the 1968 Games onwards.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens 1896 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Mexico 1968 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Munich 1972 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Moscow 1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Los Angeles 1984 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Seoul 1988 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sydney 2000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Athens 2004 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Paris 2024 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
Hosted Olympic logos and mottos
1896 Summer Olympics
In 1896 the first modern Olympic Games were hosted in Athens, the capital of Greece. The Games were a revival of the ancient Games held every four years in Olympia, in which participants from all Greek city-states were taking part, during antiquity.
By tradition, Greece is since then the first country to enter the stadium, during opening ceremonies.
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics were hosted predominately in Athens, with a few events in other Greek cities including Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos and Heraklion.
The Games' motto was Welcome Home (Καλώς ήρθατε σπίτι). The 2004 logo consisted of an olive tree branch (κότινος), with the colors of the modern Greek flag. The olive tree was a symbol of the city of Athens, while "kotinos" represented the Olympic spirit, as it was the only reward that the athletes were receiving in Olympia, during the ancient Games. The logo was revealed in 1999.
See also
Notes
- One gold medal of Greece listed in the IOC website for the 1924 Paris summer Olympics is not about a sport but for an artistic competition (sculpture) won by Konstantinos Dimitriadis.[3]