United States at the Olympics

The United States of America has sent athletes to every modern Olympic Games except for the 1980 Summer Olympics. That year, the United States led a boycott because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee for the United States.

The United States have hosted the modern Olympics eight times. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, making it nine times in total.

American athletes have won many medals at the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games. The United States has won the most medals in Olympic history. The U.S. has often been at the top of the medal table in the Summer Olympics, but has had less success in the Winter Olympics.

The United States Olympic team is unique because it does not receive any money or support from the government for training or prizes.

Hosted Games

The United States has hosted the modern Olympic Games eight times, more than any other country. These events took place from the 1904 St. Louis Olympics up to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. The U.S. has helped shape the Olympics through its achievements and new ideas for sports facilities. Even when not hosting, the U.S. has supported the Olympics through groups like the United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

In the future, Los Angeles will host the Olympics again in 2028, marking the ninth time the U.S. will have been an Olympic host. Hosting the Games often leaves lasting benefits for cities, such as better facilities and increased visitors.

Medal tables

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

The United States joined the Olympics in 1896 in Athens, the first modern games. The U.S. did very well in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri, winning more medals than ever before. This record still stands. In the 1920s and 1930s, the U.S. won many medals in the Summer Olympics. After World War II, other countries like the Soviet Union became strong competitors. The U.S. did not lead the medal count again until 1996, after the Soviet Union collapsed. A special moment was the 1984 games in Los Angeles, where the U.S. won many gold medals.

The U.S. wasn’t a top country in the Winter Olympics until the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Since then, U.S. athletes have always been near the top. The best year was the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the U.S. won many medals.

The United States has never won Olympic medals in some sports like badminton, handball, and table tennis. In winter sports, the only one the U.S. hasn’t won a medal in is biathlon.

Flagbearers

See also: List of flag bearers for the United States at the Olympics

The United States has had many athletes carry the flag at the start of the Olympic Games. These moments show the pride of each athlete representing their country on a big stage.

History

For the early history, see History of the United States at the Olympics.

U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympics since 1992. They have done very well in many sports. Sometimes they have been second in the medal count, and many times they have been first.

At the 2016 Summer Games, athlete Kim Rhode became the only female Olympian to win a medal in six straight Games. In the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunisa Lee won the gymnastics all-around gold medal. She was the first Hmong American and first gymnast of Asian descent to do this. Lydia Jacoby won gold in swimming, and Ryan Crouser set new Olympic records in the shot put. The U.S. led in the overall medal count.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, the U.S. did not send officials in a diplomatic boycott but allowed athletes to compete. The team won 25 medals. Notable victories were by Jessie Diggins in cross-country skiing, Nathan Chen in figure skating, Erin Jackson in speed skating, and Chloe Kim in snowboarding.

Amateurism and professionalism

The idea of only letting amateur athletes in the Olympics caused some issues. For example, Jim Thorpe won two gold medals in the 1912 Olympic games. But he lost his medals because he had played baseball for money before the Olympics. In 1983, his medals were returned to his family.

Later, some countries started paying their athletes to train full-time. This made it hard for athletes who had to pay their own way. Because of this, the Olympics began allowing professional athletes to compete in the 1990s after big changes in how the games were organized.

Main article: Amateurism

Prize money

When a U.S. athlete wins an Olympic medal, they receive money from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). As of 2016, the USOPC gave $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. In 2017, these amounts increased to $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. Since 2018, Paralympic athletes receive the same payments as Olympians.

In 2025, the USOPC received a historic $100 million donation to support future Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Starting with the 2026 Milan Games, each athlete will receive $200,000 per Olympic appearance. This money helps athletes with costs from training. The donation aims to provide financial security for athletes after their careers end. Many U.S. athletes face financial challenges because the U.S. government does not fund the Olympic program, unlike in many other countries. Instead, U.S. athletes rely on sponsorships, media deals, and fundraising for support.

Main article: International Paralympic Committee
Main articles: asset management, alternative investments, assets under management

Doping

The United States has had eight Olympic medals taken away for breaking rules about special substances. These decisions were made by Olympic leaders, not by the United States government or Olympic team leaders.

One famous case was swimmer Rick DeMont. He won a gold medal in 1972 but lost it because a test showed a special substance in his medicine. He had told leaders about his medicine before the race.

Later, papers showed that some American athletes failed tests for special substances between 1988 and 2000 but were still allowed to compete. This raised questions about fairness. For example, runner Carl Lewis said he accidentally took something that had banned substances in it.

Disqualified medalists

Main article: List of stripped Olympic medals

The United States has had eight Olympic medals taken away. Here are the athletes and events affected:

• 1972 Summer Olympics, Rick DeMont – first place, gold medalist, Swimming, Men's 400 m freestyle
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – first place, gold medalist, Athletics, Women's 100 m
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – first place, gold medalist, Athletics, Women's 200 m
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – third place, bronze medalist, Athletics, Women's long jump
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Relay team (Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young) – first place, gold medalists, Athletics, Men's 4 × 400 m relay
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Lance Armstrong – third place, bronze medalist, Cycling, Men's road time trial
• 2004 Summer Olympics, Tyler Hamilton – first place, gold medalist, Cycling, Men's road time trial
• 2012 Summer Olympics, Relay team (Tyson Gay) – second place, silver medalist, Athletics, Men's 4 × 100 m relay