France at the Olympics

Sporting event delegation
France at the
Olympics
IOC codeFRA
NOCFrench National Olympic and Sports Committee
Websitewww.franceolympique.com (in French)
Medals
Ranked 6th
Gold
264
Silver
293
Bronze
332
Total
889
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

The modern Olympic Games were founded by French historian Pierre de Coubertin. France has competed in every edition (both Summer and Winter), with the possible exception of the 1904 Games (as sources disagree about whether athlete Albert Corey competed for the United States or France[1][2]).

French athletes have won 751 medals at the Summer Olympic Games in a wide variety of sports, achieving particular success in fencing and cycling. France has won an additional 138 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, mostly in alpine skiing.

Hosted Games

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French host cities of the Olympic Games

France has hosted the Olympic games on five occasions and is planning to host the sixth: the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Games Host city Dates Nations Participants Events
1900 Summer Olympics Paris 14 May – 28 October 24 997 95
1924 Winter Olympics Chamonix 25 January – 4 February 16 258 16
1924 Summer Olympics Paris 5 – 27 July 44 3,089 126
1968 Winter Olympics Grenoble 6 – 18 February 37 1,158 35
1992 Winter Olympics Albertville 4 – 23 February 64 1,801 57
2024 Summer Olympics Paris 26 July – 11 August TBA 10 500 329

Overview of Olympic participation

France at the Summer Olympics

  Host country

Games Athletes  Gold  Silver  Bronze Total Rank
Kingdom of Greece 1896 Athens 13 5 4 2 11 4
France 1900 Paris 491 27 38 37 102 1
United States 1904 St. Louis 1 0 1 0 1 13
United Kingdom 1908 London 363 5 5 9 19 4
Sweden 1912 Stockholm 119 7 4 3 14 6
Belgium 1920 Antwerp 304 9 19 13 41 4
France 1924 Paris 401 13 15 10 38 3
Netherlands 1928 Amsterdam 255 6 10 5 21 5
United States 1932 Los Angeles 103 10 5 4 19 6
Nazi Germany 1936 Berlin 201 7 6 6 19 5
United Kingdom 1948 London 316 10 6 13 29 3
Finland 1952 Helsinki 245 6 6 6 18 8
Australia 1956 Melbourne 137 4 4 6 14 11
Italy 1960 Rome 238 0 2 3 5 25
Japan 1964 Tokyo 138 1 8 6 15 10
Mexico 1968 Mexico City 200 7 3 5 15 10
West Germany 1972 Munich 227 2 4 7 13 14
Canada 1976 Montreal 206 2 3 4 9 14
Soviet Union 1980 Moscow 121 6 5 3 14 10
United States 1984 Los Angeles 238 5 7 16 28 9
South Korea 1988 Seoul 266 6 4 6 16 11
Spain 1992 Barcelona 350 8 5 16 29 8
United States 1996 Atlanta 299 15 7 15 37 6
Australia 2000 Sydney 336 13 14 11 38 6
Greece 2004 Athens 308 11 9 13 33 7
China 2008 Beijing 323 7 16 20 43 10
United Kingdom 2012 London 330 11 11 13 35 7
Brazil 2016 Rio de Janeiro 401 10 18 14 42 6
Japan 2020 Tokyo 385 10 12 11 33 8
France 2024 Paris future event
United States 2028 Los Angeles future event
Australia 2032 Brisbane
Total 223 251 277 751 5

France at the Winter Olympics

  Host country

Games Athletes  Gold  Silver  Bronze Total Rank
France 1924 Chamonix 43 0 0 3 3 5
Switzerland 1928 St. Moritz 38 1 0 0 1 6
United States 1932 Lake Placid 8 1 0 0 1 8
Nazi Germany 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen 28 0 0 1 1 9
Switzerland 1948 St. Moritz 36 2 1 2 5 7
Norway 1952 Oslo 26 0 0 1 1 11
Italy 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 32 0 0 0 0
United States 1960 Squaw Valley 26 1 0 2 3 9
Austria 1964 Innsbruck 24 3 4 0 7 6
France 1968 Grenoble 75 4 3 2 9 3
Japan 1972 Sapporo 40 0 1 2 3 12
Austria 1976 Innsbruck 35 0 0 1 1 14
United States 1980 Lake Placid 22 0 0 1 1 14
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1984 Sarajevo 32 0 1 2 3 11
Canada 1988 Calgary 68 1 0 1 2 15
France 1992 Albertville 109 3 5 1 9 7
Norway 1994 Lillehammer 98 0 1 4 5 11
Japan 1998 Nagano 106 2 1 5 8 11
United States 2002 Salt Lake City 114 4 5 2 11 8
Italy 2006 Turin 82 3 2 4 9 12
Canada 2010 Vancouver 108 2 3 6 11 12
Russia 2014 Sochi 116 4 4 7 15 10
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang 107 5 4 6 15 9
China 2022 Beijing 86 5 7 2 14 10
Italy 2026 Milan–Cortina future event
Total 41 42 55 138 13
Number of medals won by France at the Olympic summer games from 1896 to 2012.
Number of medals won by France at the Olympic winter games from 1924 to 2014.

Medals by summer sport

  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Fencing444336123
Cycling41262693
Judo16132857
Equestrian15151343
Sailing15142049
Athletics13273070
Shooting912930
Weightlifting93315
Swimming8161943
Rowing8151336
Canoeing891936
Archery711725
Boxing691025
Tennis56819
Wrestling441018
Handball4217
Gymnastics310922
Croquet 3227
Football1102
Water polo1023
Karate1001
Volleyball1001
Water motorsports 1001
Basketball0415
Taekwondo0358
Rugby0303
Modern pentathlon0123
Table tennis0112
Diving0101
Artistic swimming0011
Marathon swimming0011
Triathlon0011
Totals (32 entries)223251277751


Medals by winter sport


SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Alpine skiing16171851
Biathlon1291233
Snowboarding45413
Figure skating43714
Freestyle skiing36615
Nordic combined2114
Cross-country skiing0145
Bobsleigh0011
Curling0011
Ski jumping0011
Totals (10 entries)414255138

Summary by sport

Aquatics

Swimming

France first competed in swimming at the Paris 1900 Games, with 47 swimmers taking one gold medal (and five total medals).

Games Swimmers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 47 7/7 1 2 2 5
Total 8 15 20 43

Archery

France competed in archery in its first Olympic appearance in Paris 1900. The French team there took 13 of the 20 medals, including gold in 4 of the 7 events.

Games Archers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 129 7/7 4 5 4 13
Total 6 11 7 24

Athletics

France first competed in athletics at the inaugural 1896 Games, winning a silver and a bronze. The nation's first gold medal in the sport is a disputed one; Michel Théato was Luxembourgish but living in Paris; his win in the 1900 marathon is credited to France by the International Olympic Committee, which rejected a petition by Luxembourg to change the Olympic record of Théato's nationality.[3]

Games Athletes Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 5 9/12 0 1 1 2
1900 Paris 23 18/23 1 4 2 7
Total 14 27 29 70

Basque pelota

In the only appearance of basque pelota as a medal sport at the Olympics in 1900, the French team (one of only two teams to enter) withdrew shortly before the competition started, and the match was not played. The Spanish pair is credited with the gold medal.[4][5]

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 2 1/1 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0

Cricket

France is one of two nations to have competed in the only Olympic cricket competition, in 1900. The French team lost to a British team, taking second place.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 12 1/1 0 1 0 1
Total 0 1 0 1

Croquet

France was the only nation to compete in the only Olympic croquet competitions, in 1900.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 10 3/3 3 2 2 7
Total 3 2 2 7

Cycling

France first competed in cycling in 1896, winning four of the six cycling events—all of the events which France contested. France has won more gold medals (41) and total medals (91) in the sport than any other nation.

Games Cyclists Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 2 4/6 4 1 1 6
Total 41 27 23 91

Equestrian

France has won the third-most gold medals and fourth-most total medals in equestrian sports. The nation hosted the first equestrian events in Paris 1900, winning gold medals in two of the five events.

Games Riders Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 39 5/5 2 2 4 8
Total 14 13 10 37

Fencing

France has won the second-most gold medals and second-most total medals in fencing, in each case behind Italy.

Games Fencers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 4 2/3 1 2 0 3
1900 Paris 211 7/7 5 5 5 15
Total 42 41 35 118

Football

France competed in the first men's Olympic football "tournament," winning one match and losing another to earn a second place finish currently recognized as a silver medal performance. The nation was a frequent competitor from then through 1996, peaking with a gold medal win in 1984. France did not qualify for the men's tournament from 2000 to 2016, but has qualified for the 2020 Games.

France did not qualify for the first four women's tournaments from 1996 to 2008. The French women debuted in 2012, placing 4th, and followed that with a 5th-place finish in 2016.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 13 1/1 0 1 0 1
Total 1 1 0 2

Golf

France competed in the first Olympic golf tournaments in 1900, which the nation hosted. The French golfers' best results that year were 4th place for the women and 10th place for the men. France did not compete in the 1904 golf tournaments. When the sport returned to the Olympics in 2016, France had two men and two women compete; the best result was Grégory Bourdy's 21st-place finish.

Games Fencers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 7 2/2 0 0 0 0
2016 Rio de Janeiro 4 2/2 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0

Gymnastics

France had one gymnast participate in one event in the inaugural 1896 Games. The nation's first medals in the sport came when Paris hosted the Games in 1900; the only event on the schedule was the men's individual all-around, in which France swept the top 18 places (having 108 of the 135 competing gymnasts).

Games Gymnasts Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 1 1/8 0 0 0 0
1900 Paris 108 1/1 1 1 1 3
Total 3 10 9 22

Polo

France competed at two of the five editions of Olympic polo tournaments, both occasions when Paris hosted the Games in 1900 and 1924. The nation is formally credited with no medals, though French players competed on a mixed team in 1900 (along with a British player) that took bronze. France had a fully-French team as well in 1900, which took fifth place. Both the all-French and the mixed team went 0–1 (losing to the same team), with the mixed team placed higher due to a bye. The French team in 1924 went 0–4 in the round-robin tournament. Thus, the overall Olympic record of teams with French polo players is 0–6.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 7 1/1 0 0 0 0[6]
1924 Paris 5 1/1 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0[6]

Rowing

France hosted the inaugural Olympic rowing contests in Paris 1900. France won 2 of the 5 gold medals, and a French boy served as cox in the final for the otherwise Dutch team that won the coxed pair.

Games Rowers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 47 4/4 2 3 1 6[7]
Total 8 15 14 37

Rugby

France hosted the inaugural Olympic rugby union contest in 1900, winning the gold medal over Germany and Great Britain. France did not play in 1908, but returned in 1920 (losing the single match to the United States) and 1924 (beating Romania but losing again to the United States).

With the return of rugby, in the form of rugby sevens, in 2016, France competed again. France had both men's and women's teams in 2016; both advanced out of pool play to the quarterfinals but were defeated there.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 17 1/1 1 0 0 1
1920 Antwerp 15 1/1 0 1 0 1
1924 Paris 30 1/1 0 1 0 1
2016 Rio de Janeiro 25 2/2 0 0 0 0
Total 1 2 0 3

Sailing

France hosted the first Olympic sailing competitions in 1900, earning 24 total medals in the 13 events, including 5 golds.

Games No. Sailors Events Gold Silver Bronze Total Ranking
1900 451 130/13 5 9 10 24 1
1908 3 1/4 0 0 1 1 4
1912 3 1/4 1 0 0 1 3
1920 3 1/14 0 1 0 1 6
1924 9 3/3 0 0 1 1 5
1928 13 3/3 1 0 0 1 3
1932 3 2/4 1 0 0 1 3
1936 14 4/4 0 0 0 0
1948 17 5/5 0 0 0 0
1952 9 4/5 0 0 0 0
1956 8 4/5 0 0 0 0
1960 11 5/5 0 0 0 0
1964 3 2/5 0 0 0 0
1968 9 4/5 0 0 0 0
1972 11 5/6 1 1 0 2 2
1976 10 5/6 0 0 0 0
1980 0 0/6 0 0 0 0
1984 11 6/7 0 0 1 1 8
1988 13 7/8 2 0 0 2 1
1992 17 10/10 2 0 0 2 2
1996 13 8/10 0 0 0 0
2000 12 7/11 0 0 0 0
2004 18 11/11 1 0 1 2 7
2008 18 11/11 0 1 2 3 9
2012 16 10/10 0 0 1 1 12
2016 15 10/10 1 0 2 3 6
2020 14 9/10 0 2 1 3 8
Total 15 14 20 49 4

Shooting

France competed in shooting at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one shooter in one event, winning no medals. The nation's first medals came when France hosted the Games in 1900, with 3 golds and 10 total medals that year.

Games Shooters Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 1 1/5 0 0 0 0
1900 Paris 37 9/9 3 4 3 10
Total 9 14 10 33

Tennis

France first competed in tennis at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one player competing in men's singles and losing in the first round.

Games Athletes Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 1 1/2 0 0 0 0
1900 Paris 14 4/4 0 1 1 2[8]
Total 5 6 8 19

See also

References

  1. ^ "St. Louis 1904 Summer Olympics - Athletes, Medals & Results". 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Olympic Games | History, Locations, & Winners".
  3. ^ "Michel THEATO (1878-1919)". pierrelagrue-jo.com. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  4. ^ 1900 basque pelota results from olympic.org
  5. ^ "Two-Man Teams With Cesta, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Does not include a bronze medal by a mixed team that included French players.
  7. ^ Does not include a gold medal as part of a mixed team in 1900.
  8. ^ Does not include a silver medal earned as part of a mixed team in tennis in 1900

External links

  • "France". International Olympic Committee. 27 July 2021.
  • "France". Olympedia.com.
  • "Olympic Analytics/FRA". olympanalyt.com.
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