Jump to content

Germany at the Summer Olympics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Germany at the
Summer Olympics
Image
IOC codeGER
NOCGerman Olympic Sports Confederation
Websitewww.dosb.de (in German, English, and French)
Medals
Gold
451
Silver
469
Bronze
498
Total
1,418
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

––––

Image Saar (1952)
Image United Team of Germany (1956–1964)
Image East Germany (1968–1988)
Image West Germany (1968–1988)

Athletes from Germany (GER) have appeared in 27 of the 30 Summer Olympic Games, having competed in all Games except[1] those of 1920, 1924 and 1948, when they were not permitted to do so. Germany has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice; the 1936 Games in Berlin, and the 1972 Games in Munich.

The nation appeared 18 times as a single country (IOC code GER), before World War II and again after German reunification in 1990. Three times, from 1956 to 1964, German athletes from the separate states in West and East competed as a United Team of Germany, which is currently listed by the IOC as EUA, not GER.

Due to partition under occupation that resulted in three (until 1957) post-war German states, two concurrent Olympic teams with German athletes appeared on five occasions, in 1952, from 1968 to 1976, and in 1988. The all-time results of German athletes are thus divided among the designations GER, EUA, FRG, GDR and SAA (the Saarland, which only took part in the 1952 Summer Games and won no medals).

Including the Summer Games of 2024, German athletes have won 1419 medals: 450 gold, 470 silver and 499 bronze. The IOC currently splits these results among four codes, even though only the German Democratic Republic (East Germany; 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.

Timeline of Germany at the Summer Olympics

[edit]

1896–1912

[edit]
Image
1896–1912

Germany entered all Olympic Games starting in 1896, even though the relations between the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the French Third Republic where Pierre de Coubertin revived Olympic games and held the 1900 Summer Olympics, were strained following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. The country's overall medal ranks varied from second through seventh.

The worst result, seventh, occurred in the 1900 Paris Olympics. The German gymnasts were judged no better than 53rd in the single gymnastic contest organized by the French, behind dozens of Frenchmen, who occupied the first 18 places and thus won all three medals. In contrast, the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens had seen eight contests, with Germans scoring five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

The anticipated 1916 Summer Olympics, which were to be officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were to have been held in Germany's capital, Berlin. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, organization continued, as no one foresaw the war dragging on for four years. Eventually, though, the games were canceled.

1920–1948

[edit]
Image
1928–1932

After World War I, the German Empire became a republic informally known as Weimar Republic, a change which was reflected in a new flag of Germany that in fact was older than the former one, dating back to early 19th century democratic movements. In the Paris Peace Conference, the outbreak of the war was blamed on Germany and other Central Powers allies. These nations, which by now had new governments, were banned from the 1920 Summer Olympics. While all other banned nations were invited again for the 1924 Summer Olympics, held for the second time in Pierre de Coubertin's home town of Paris, the ban on Germany was not lifted until 1925. This was likely related to French Occupation of the Ruhr and the Rheinland between 1923 and 1925.[citation needed]

After 16 years of absence, a new generation of German athletes returned in the 1928 Summer Olympics, scoring second overall. Four years later, the worldwide Great Depression prevented many athletes from competing in the 1932 Games in Los Angeles. Winning only three gold medals, the German team was ranked ninth, though it did finish tied in silver medals, with 12.

Image
1936

In the spring of 1931 the 1936 Summer Olympics were awarded to Berlin, 20 years later than originally planned. From 1933 onwards, the Nazi Party ruled Germany, a change being marked by the use of the Nazi flag. In the games, the 348 German athletes not only outnumbered the 310 Americans, but outscored them for the first time in the medal count in which Germany ranked first. Also, German gymnasts Konrad Frey and Alfred Schwarzmann won the most medals, with six and five in total, of which three each were gold, while American Jesse Owens had won four gold medals himself. Leni Riefenstahl documented the games in the film Olympia.

The 1940 Summer Olympics as well as the 1944 Summer Olympics were canceled due to World War II. For the 1948 Summer Olympics, with the war a recent memory, Germany and Japan were not invited.

Separate German teams 1952–1988

[edit]
Image
1952–1956
since 1972

A United Team of Germany with athletes from two states appeared three times at the Olympic games from 1956 to 1964. The IOC currently does not attribute these results to Germany (GER), but lists them separately as the Equipe Unifiée Allemande (EUA).

In the 1952 Games, only athletes from West Germany and the Saar Protectorate took part. The former represented the Federal Republic of Germany (GER), which as the only independent democratic state, covering the largest part of Germany, claimed exclusive mandate to represent the entire country. Athletes from the Saar Protectorate (SAA) competed as a separate team, as the French-occupied region would not join the Federal Republic of Germany until 1955.

West Germany used the code GER at the Games from 1968 to 1976, although its athletes' participation is now coded as FRG by the IOC, a code introduced in 1980.

Athletes from the Soviet-occupied German Democratic Republic (GDR) appeared in a separate team after the United Team effort was discontinued. In five Games, from 1968 to 1980 and again in 1988, they represented the GDR before the East German states joined the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990, and the GDR ceased to exist.

Since 1990, the enlarged Federal Republic of Germany has been simply called Germany (GER). West Germany's six Olympic teams (from 1952, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1984 and 1988) are still listed by the IOC under FRG, though, and not attributed to GER.

In the 1980s, each of the two states participated in one of the multinational boycotts of Summer Games. Many Western countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany, boycotted the Moscow Games of 1980 due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the year before. In return, 14 Eastern Bloc states, including the GDR, boycotted the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Thus, only one German team was present in each of these two Olympics.

FRG (West Germany)

[edit]

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), often called West Germany during the Cold War, was founded in 1949 as the largest of the three German states formed under occupation after the division of Germany following World War II. The West German NOC continued the tradition of the German NOC that had joined the IOC in 1895, and continued to represent the Germany that was enlarged after the Saar Protectorate (SAA) joined the Federal Republic of Germany in 1956, and after the states of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) (East Germany) had joined in the process of German reunification in 1990.

German teams competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics under the designations of GER and SAA. In the Games of 1956, 1960 and 1964, German athletes competed as a United Team of Germany (EUA), but 1968 until the end of the Cold War, the two states sent independent teams designated as West and East Germany, until the separate East German state ceased to exist.

United Team of Germany 1956–1964

[edit]
Image
1960–1968

After three German states had been founded in Germany under occupation after World War II, athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) competed together as the United Team of Germany (EUA for French: Équipe unifiée d'Allemagne, German: Gesamtdeutsche Mannschaft) in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympics.

Prior to that, German athletes from West Germany and the French-occupied Saar Protectorate took part in the 1952 Summer Olympics organized in different teams designated as GER and SAA. The Saar Protectorate joined the Federal Republic after 1955, while the East German authorities, which had not taken part in the 1952 Games, agreed in 1956 to let their athletes compete in a united team that used the black-red-gold tricolour, but with additional Olympic rings in white placed upon the red middle stripe, as East German politicians were eager not to compete under the traditional German flag used both by West Germany and even themselves. Only in 1959, the GDR added socialist symbols to create a distinct Flag of East Germany. As the use of the Deutschlandlied, dating back to 1841 and 1797, of the recently created East German anthem, or of possible combinations was also rejected, Beethoven's melody to Schiller's Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy) was played for winning German athletes as a compromise in lieu of a national anthem.

During the Games of 1956, 1960 and 1964 the traditional abbreviation GER for Germany was used, or rather the equivalents in the language of the host country. In Innsbruck in 1964, the Austrian officials used the international license plate code of D for Deutschland (Germany) for the country. The IOC code currently uses EUA (from the official French-language IOC designation, Equipe Unifiée Allemande) and applies this in hindsight for the United German Team. No reasoning is given, it may be done to allow for the political circumstances during the German divide between 1949 and 1990, and the involvement of two National Olympic Committees rather than only one.

Despite initially calling for a "united Germany" in the East German anthem, the socialist East German government intensified its separation in Germany, with the erection of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 obstructing travel within Germany even more. The travel of GDR athletes, such as to contests and training sites in the Alps, was limited due to fear of Republikflucht.

As a result of this development, in the 1968 Winter and Summer Olympics, German athletes competed as separate West and East teams, while still using the compromise flag and Beethoven anthem that year. The French organizers of the Grenoble Games used the codes ALL (Allemagne, Germany) and ADE (Allemagne de l'Est, East Germany), which roughly correspond to the IOC codes of GER and GDR.

Image
1968–1988

The separation was completed at the 1972 Winter and Summer Olympics (the latter was hosted by West Germany), when the two countries used separate flags and anthems. This continued until the German Reunification of 1990 where the German Democratic Republic became part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Overview of Olympic participation

[edit]

Combined medals at the Summer Olympics (including all German NOCs)

[edit]
status after the 2024 Olympics
Summer Games
Team (IOC code)

No.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image Image Image Germany 18214219254687
Image Saar 10000
Image United Team of Germany 3285436118
Image East Germany 5153129127409
Image West Germany 5566781204
Total 274514694981,418
Combined IOC codes No. Games 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Combined total
Image Germany (GER) 18214219254687
Image Germany (GER) (EUA) 21242273290805
Image Germany (GER) (EUA) (FRG) 262983403711,009
Image Germany (GER) (EUA) (FRG) (GDR) 31[A]4514694981,419
  1. ↑ Counting the four Summer Games where both East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG) competed as two appearances.

All German NOCs at the Summer Olympics

[edit]

  Host country

Source:[2][3][4]
Notes
  • NAT Under the current IOC's attribution policy since 2024, athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896, 1900, and 1904) are attributed according to the national affiliation of their club rather than their nationality. For the 1904 Summer Olympics, this resulted in a net change of +1 gold, −1 silver, and −1 bronze for Germany:
    • (+) Swiss Adolf Spinnler won a gold medal and a bronze medal in gymnastics; as a representative of a German club, his results were attributed to Germany.
    • (–) German Frank Kugler won a silver medal in wrestling and two bronze medals in weightlifting; as a representative of an American club, his results were attributed to the United States.
  • ART Art competitions (1912–1948) are not included in the medal table above, as they were non-sports events formerly part of the Olympic Games.[nb 1] Germany won a total of 24 art competition medals (8 gold, 7 silver, and 9 bronze), across the 1912, 1928, 1932, and 1936 Summer Olympics.[4]

Medals by sport (GER 1896-1936, 1952, 1992-current )

[edit]
  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Image Canoeing36212683
Image Equestrian32151461
Image Rowing24161555
Image Athletics20303787
Image Gymnastics16121543
Image Swimming15203166
Image Cycling15171749
Image Shooting109524
Image Weightlifting67720
Image Wrestling5121128
Image Fencing57921
Image Boxing491124
Image Field hockey43411
Image Tennis36211
Image Sailing35715
Image Judo341522
Image Diving281323
Image Beach volleyball2114
Image Triathlon2103
Image Modern pentathlon2013
Image Handball1214
Image Water polo1203
Image Football1146
Image 3x3 basketball1001
Image Table tennis0459
Image Archery0325
Image Taekwondo0112
Image Golf0101
Image Rugby0101
Totals (29 entries)213218254685

These totals do not include the one gold and one silver medal won by Germany in figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Best results in non-medaling sports

[edit]

Medals by sport (EUA 1956-1964)

[edit]
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Image Equestrian55414
Image Athletics418830
Image Canoeing45211
Image Rowing4419
Image Diving3104
Image Swimming15612
Image Wrestling1539
Image Cycling1427
Image Boxing1326
Image Fencing1124
Image Gymnastics1113
Image Sailing1113
Image Shooting1012
Image Judo0112
Image Field hockey0011
Image Football0011
Totals (16 entries)285436118

Medals by sport (GDR 1968-1988)

[edit]
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Image Athletics383635109
Image Swimming38322292
Image Rowing337848
Image Canoeing147930
Image Gymnastics6131736
Image Cycling66416
Image Boxing52613
Image Shooting38516
Image Wrestling2327
Image Diving2237
Image Sailing2226
Image Weightlifting14611
Image Judo1269
Image Football1113
Image Handball1113
Image Volleyball0202
Image Fencing0101
Totals (17 entries)153129127409

Medals by sport (FRG 1968-1988)

[edit]
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Image Athletics12141743
Image Equestrian115925
Image Fencing78116
Image Cycling45514
Image Rowing44614
Image Shooting44311
Image Swimming351422
Image Canoeing26311
Image Sailing2237
Image Weightlifting2237
Image Wrestling1449
Image Judo1438
Image Field hockey1304
Image Boxing1056
Image Tennis1012
Image Handball0101
Image Gymnastics0022
Image Football0011
Image Water polo0011
Totals (19 entries)566781204

Medalists

[edit]

Archery

[edit]

Athletics

[edit]

Basketball

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image GoldSvenja Brunckhorst
Sonja Greinacher
Elisa Mevius
Marie Reichert
France 2024 ParisImage BasketballWomen's 3x3 tournament

Boxing

[edit]

Beach volleyball

[edit]

Canoeing

[edit]

Cycling

[edit]

Diving

[edit]

Equestrian

[edit]

Fencing

[edit]

Field Hockey

[edit]

Figure Skating

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image GoldAnna Hübler
Heinrich Burger
United Kingdom 1908 LondonFigure SkatingPairs
Image SilverElsa RendschmidtUnited Kingdom 1908 LondonFigure SkatingLadies' Singles

Football

[edit]

Golf

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image SilverEsther HenseleitFrance 2024 ParisImage GolfWomen's individual

Gymnastics

[edit]

Handball

[edit]

Judo

[edit]

Modern pentathlon

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image BronzeHelmuth KahlNetherlands 1928 AmsterdamImage Modern pentathlonMen's individual
Image GoldGotthard HandrickGermany 1936 BerlinImage Modern pentathlonMen's individual
Image GoldLena SchönebornChina 2008 BeijingImage Modern pentathlonWomen's individual

Rowing

[edit]

Rugby

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image SilverHermann Kreuzer
Arnold Landvoigt
Heinrich Reitz
Jacob Herrmann
Erich Ludwig
Hugo Betting
August Schmierer
Fritz Muller
Adolf Stockhausen
Hans Latscha
Willy Hofmeister
Georg Wenderoth
Eduard Poppe
Richard Ludwig
Albert Amrhein
France 1900 ParisImage RugbyMen's 15 Rugby

Sailing

[edit]

Shooting

[edit]

Swimming

[edit]

Men

[edit]

Women

[edit]

Table tennis

[edit]

Taekwondo

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image SilverFaissal EbnoutalibAustralia 2000 SydneyImage TaekwondoMen's middleweight
Image BronzeHelena FrommUnited Kingdom 2012 LondonImage TaekwondoWomen's middleweight

Tennis

[edit]

Triathlon

[edit]
Medal Name Games Sport Event
Image SilverStephan VuckovicAustralia 2000 SydneyImage TriathlonMen's individual
Image GoldJan FrodenoChina 2008 BeijingImage TriathlonMen's individual
Image GoldTim Hellwig
Lisa Tertsch
Lasse Lührs
Laura Lindemann
France 2024 ParisImage TriathlonMixed relay

Water Polo

[edit]

Weightlifting

[edit]

Wrestling

[edit]

Summary by sport

[edit]

Aquatics

[edit]

Artistic swimming

[edit]
Games Swimmers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1992 Barcelona22/20000
Total22/170000

Diving

[edit]
Games Athletes EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1904 St. Louis31/20101
1908 London52/21113
1912 Stockholm43/41214
1928 Amsterdam94/40000
1932 Los Angeles22/40000
1936 Berlin114/40022
1952 Helsinki42/40011
1992 Barcelona74/40011
1996 Atlanta74/40202
2000 Sydney86/80022
2004 Athens107/80101
2008 Beijing98/80112
2012 London86/80000
2016 Rio de Janeiro87/80011
2020 Tokyo97/80022
2024 Paris96/80000
Total73/102281222

Swimming

[edit]

Germany first competed in swimming at 1900 Games, with six swimmers in five events, winning two gold medals.

Games Swimmers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1900 Paris65/72002
1904 St. Louis45/94228
1908 London52/61001
1912 Stockholm178/92327
1928 Amsterdam1910/111113
1932 Los Angeles22/110000
1936 Berlin2410/110314
1952 Helsinki97/110011
1992 Barcelona3431/3113711
1996 Atlanta2830/3205712
2000 Sydney3532/320033
2004 Athens3529/320145
2008 Beijing2528/342013
2012 London3024/340101
2016 Rio de Janeiro2926/340000
2020 Tokyo3129/371023
2024 Paris2525/371113
Total15203267

Water polo

[edit]
Games Swimmers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1900 Paris71/10000
1928 Amsterdam81/11001
1932 Los Angeles81/10101
1936 Berlin111/10101
1952 Helsinki91/10000
1992 Barcelona121/10000
1996 Atlanta131/10000
2004 Athens131/20000
2008 Beijing121/20000
Total9/271203

Archery

[edit]
Games Archers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1992 Barcelona64/40000
1996 Atlanta32/40101
2000 Sydney43/40011
2004 Athens43/40000
2008 Beijing22/40000
2012 London22/40000
2016 Rio de Janeiro22/40101
2020 Tokyo44/50011
2024 Paris44/50101
Total2026/540325

Athletics

[edit]

Badminton

[edit]

Basketball

[edit]
Games Athletes EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1936 Berlin101/10000
1992 Barcelona121/20000
2008 Beijing121/20000
2020 Tokyo121/40000
2024 Paris283/41001
Total677/241001

Beach volleyball

[edit]

Boxing

[edit]

Canoeing

[edit]

Cycling

[edit]

Germany competed in all six of the cycling events at the first Games in 1896, earning a silver medal.

Equestrian

[edit]

Germany competed in equestrian at the first Games in which the sport was held, in Paris 1900. One rider competed in the mail coach event, winning no medals.

Fencing

[edit]

Germany first competed in fencing in 1900, with a single sabreur who did not advance past the first round.

Football

[edit]

Golf

[edit]

Gymnastics

[edit]

Artistic Gymnastics

[edit]

Germany competed in all eight of the gymnastics events at the first Games in 1896, winning five of them and medaling in all eight.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

[edit]

Trampoline

[edit]

Handball

[edit]
Games Rowers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1936 Berlin221/11001
1992 Barcelona322/20000
1996 Atlanta302/20000
2000 Sydney151/20000
2004 Athens151/20101
2008 Beijing292/20000
2016 Rio de Janeiro151/20011
2020 Tokyo141/20000
2024 Paris282/20101
Total15713/191214

Rowing

[edit]

Germany was among the nations that competed at the first Olympic rowing regatta in 1900, with three boats in the men's coxed four (all of which earned medals in an unusual event that awarded two full sets of medals) and one in the men's eight.

Games Rowers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1900 Paris212/41023
Total23141451

Rugby

[edit]

Germany competed in the inaugural Olympic rugby union contest in 1900, taking joint silver with Great Britain behind winners France. Germany did not compete in any of the other rugby union competitions (in 1908, 1920, or 1924) and was not among the nations competing in the rugby sevens in 2016.

Games Players EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1900 Paris151/10101
Total0101

Sailing

[edit]

Germany competed in the first Olympic sailing competitions in 1900, taking a gold and a silver medal.

Games Rowers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1900 Paris43/131102
Total34411

Tennis

[edit]

Germany first competed in tennis at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one player competing in men's singles and, as part of a mixed team, in men's doubles. Friedrich Traun lost to John Boland in the first round of the singles, but paired with him to win the gold in the doubles. The mixed team medal is not credit to Germany.

Games Athletes EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1896 Athens12[5]/20000[6]
Total26210[6]

Weightlifting

[edit]

Germany first competed in weightlifting at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one lifter competing in one event.

Games Lifters EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1896 Athens11/20000
Total67720

Wrestling

[edit]

Germany first competed in wrestling at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one wrestler (actually a gymnast, Carl Schuhmann) competing in the open weight class event. He won the gold medal.

Games Wrestlers EventsGoldSilverBronze Total
1896 Athens11/11001
Total412925

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ In 1952, art competition medals, as well as the gold medal awards for feats in alpinism and aeronautics, were removed from the official national medal counts.[7] Only since 2021 have they been officially listed again by the IOC in the medal tables and respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) profiles on its website.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ In the boycotts of 1980 and 1984, only one of two teams remained absent, with the East Germans being the only Germans present in Moscow 1980
  2. ↑ "Olympic Analytics – Germany (GER)". olympanalyt.com. Olympic Analytics. 2024. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  3. ↑ "Olympedia – Germany (GER)". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  4. 1 2 "Germany - NOC Profile". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  5. ↑ Includes participation as part of a mixed doubles team.
  6. 1 2 Does not include a gold medal won in 1896 by a mixed team that included a German player.
  7. McGillivray, Mary (2024-07-31). "ABC TV's The Art Of explores the surprising history of art competitions at the Olympics". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
[edit]