China at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids China at the All-time Olympic Games
IOC code	CHN
NOC	Chinese Olympic Committee
Medals Ranked 3rd	Gold Silver Bronze Total 325 258 221 804
Summer appearances
1952 1956–1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
Other related appearances
Republic of China (1924–1972)

Number of medals won by China at the summer Olympic Games from 1952 to 2020

Number of medals won by China at the Olympic Winter Games from 1980 to 2022

China first joined the Olympic Games as the Republic of China (ROC) from 1924 to 1948. Later, the People's Republic of China (PRC) competed for the first time at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. They arrived late but managed to take part in one event.

At that time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed both the PRC and ROC (which had moved to Taiwan) to use the name "China." However, the ROC team left in protest. This led to a period where the PRC did not join many international sports events.

China officially returned to the IOC in 1979. This allowed them to send a team to the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, USA. Their first time back at the Summer Olympic Games after 1952 was the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.

As of 2024, China has done very well in the Summer Olympics. They finished first once, second four times, and third twice. China is the most successful country in the Asia–Oceania region. They are the 3rd most successful country in Olympic history, after the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Chinese Olympic Committee was officially recognized in 1979. Before the Chinese Civil War, athletes from China competed as the Republic of China (ROC). After the war, the ROC continued to compete, but only with athletes from Taiwan. This was from the 1952 Summer Olympics to the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Because of arguments over the name "China," the PRC boycotted the Games during these years. In 1979, the IOC helped both sides agree. The "China" name would be used by the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China, based in Taipei, would be called Chinese Taipei. This agreement allowed the PRC to finally join the Olympic movement again.

Hong Kong has had its own Olympic Committee since 1950. It has competed in the Games separately since 1952. Even after Hong Kong became part of the PRC in 1997, it still competes on its own as Hong Kong, China.

Hosting the Olympic Games

China has hosted the Olympic Games two times. Both times, the host city was Beijing. Beijing is special because it is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Olympic Games Hosted by China

Unsuccessful Bids to Host the Games

China has also tried to host the Games other times but was not chosen.

China's Olympic Journey

China has a rich history of participating in the Olympics. Let's look at how they've done over the years.

Summer Olympics Highlights

China has won many medals in the Summer Olympics. They have especially excelled in certain sports.

• 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles): China won 15 gold medals and ranked 4th.
  • Xu Haifeng won China's first-ever Olympic gold medal in shooting. This was a huge moment for the country.
  • Li Ning won six medals in gymnastics (3 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze). He was called the "Prince of Gymnasts."
  • The Chinese women's volleyball team won China's first gold medal in a team ball sport.

• 1988 Summer Olympics (Seoul): China won 5 gold medals and ranked 11th.
  • Li Meisu won China's first medal in athletics.
  • China also won its first medals in rowing.

• 1992 Summer Olympics (Barcelona): China won 16 gold medals and ranked 4th.
  • Chen Yueling won China's first athletics gold medal in women's 10 km walk.
  • Chinese female swimmers won 4 golds and 5 silvers.
  • Deng Yaping won two table tennis golds. The IOC president himself gave her a medal.
  • Zhuang Xiaoyan won China's first judo gold medal.

• 1996 Summer Olympics (Atlanta): China won 16 gold medals and ranked 4th again.
  • Fu Mingxia won two diving golds, a rare achievement.
  • Deng Yaping won two more table tennis golds, becoming the first Chinese athlete to win four Olympic golds.
  • China won all four gold medals in table tennis for the first time.
  • The Chinese women's football team won a silver medal, China's first in football.

• 2000 Summer Olympics (Sydney): China won 28 gold medals and ranked 3rd.
  • China won all four gold medals in table tennis again.
  • Chen Zhong won China's first taekwondo gold medal.
  • Jiang Cuihua won China's first medal in cycling.

• 2004 Summer Olympics (Athens): China won 32 gold medals and ranked 2nd.
  • Liu Xiang became the first Chinese male athlete to win gold in an Olympic track event (110 m hurdles).
  • Wang Yifu competed in his sixth Olympics and won gold in shooting.
  • Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun won China's first canoeing gold medal.
  • Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won China's first tennis gold medal.
  • Wang Xu won China's first wrestling gold medal.
  • The Chinese women's volleyball team won their second gold medal after 20 years.

• 2008 Summer Olympics (Beijing): As the host country, China won 48 golds, 22 silvers, and 30 bronze medals, totaling 100 medals, and ranked 1st.
  • Guo Jingjing and Zhang Yining both won two golds in diving and table tennis, respectively.
  • China won all four gold medals in table tennis for the third time.
  • Zhong Man won China's first men's fencing gold.
  • Zhang Juanjuan won China's first archery gold.
  • Zou Shiming and Zhang Xiaoping won China's first boxing golds.
  • Yin Jian won China's first sailing gold in windsurfing.
  • Chinese gymnasts won 11 golds, their best ever.

• 2012 Summer Olympics (London): China won 38 golds and finished 2nd.
  • Sun Yang became the first Chinese male swimmer to win Olympic gold.
  • Ye Shiwen became the first Chinese female swimmer to win two golds in one Olympics.
  • Chen Ding won gold in men's 20 km walk, China's second athletics gold.
  • Wu Minxia became the only Chinese athlete to win three gold medals in a single diving event.
  • Zou Kai won two more golds in gymnastics, making him the Chinese athlete with the most Olympic golds (five).
  • Xu Lijia won China's first gold medal in the sailboat event of sailing.
  • Lin Dan became the first athlete to defend the men's singles title in Olympic badminton.
  • China won all four gold medals in table tennis for the fourth time. They also won all five golds in badminton for the first time.

• 2016 Summer Olympics (Rio de Janeiro): China won 26 golds and ranked 3rd.
  • Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi won China's first cycling gold medal.
  • Feng Shanshan won China's first golf medal.
  • Dong Bin won China's first medal in Olympic triple jump.
  • The Chinese women's volleyball team won a third gold medal.
  • Wu Minxia defended her Women's 3m Synchro event for the fourth time, becoming the most successful Chinese athlete ever with 5 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze.

• 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo): Held in August 2021, China won 38 gold, 32 silver, and 18 bronze medals, ranking 2nd.
  • Su Bingtian set a new Asian Record in the men's 100 m semi-final and became the first Chinese athlete to reach the 100 m final.
  • Gong Lijiao won China's first gold medal in any field events (women's shot put).
  • Liu Shiying won China's first gold medal in Olympic javelin throw.
  • Lü Xiaojun became the oldest weightlifter champion in modern Olympics.
  • The Chinese relay team won China's first medal in athletic relays.

• 2024 Summer Olympics (Paris): China won 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals, ranking 2nd. This was their best result since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
  • Zheng Qinwen won China's first-ever gold in Olympic singles tennis.
  • Deng Yawen won China's first gold medal in women's BMX freestyle.
  • Pan Zhanle won China's first gold in men's 100 m freestyle, breaking records.
  • The Chinese swimming relay team won China's first gold in the 4 x 100 m medley relay.
  • Chinese boxers won multiple gold and silver medals, their best result in boxing.
  • The Chinese diving team won all 8 gold medals.
  • Liu Qingyi won a bronze medal in breaking, a new Olympic event.
  • The Chinese artistic swimming team won their first golds.
  • The Chinese women's field hockey team won silver, their best result.
  • The Chinese table tennis team won all five golds. Ma Long won his sixth gold, becoming the Chinese Olympian with the most gold medals.

Winter Olympics Highlights

China has won medals in 7 out of 15 Winter Olympics sports. Most of their gold medals come from short track speed skating.

• 1992–1998:
  • Ye Qiaobo won China's first Winter Olympics medal in speed skating.
  • Chen Lu won bronze medals in figure skating in 1994 and 1998.

• 2002:
  • Yang Yang (A) won China's first Winter Olympics gold medal in short track speed skating.

• 2006:
  • Han Xiaopeng became the first male athlete to win a Winter Olympics gold medal in freestyle skiing.

• 2010:
  • Wang Meng won three golds in short track speed skating.
  • Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo won figure skating gold in pair skating after trying four times.
  • Wang Bingyu and her team won China's first curling Olympic medal.

• 2014: China won 3 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals, ranking 12th.
  • Zhang Hong won China's first gold medal in speed skating.

• 2018: China won 1 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze medals, ranking 16th.
  • Liu Jiayu won China's first Olympic medal in snowboarding.
  • Wu Dajing became the first Chinese male short track speed skating Olympic champion.

• 2022: As the host country, China won 9 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals, ranking 3rd. This was their first time hosting the Winter Games.
  • Ailing Eileen Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at one Olympic Game. She is also the first female Chinese gold medalist in freestyle skiing.
  • Yan Wengang won China's first medal in skeleton.
  • Xu Mengtao won China's first gold in women's aerials (freestyle skiing).
  • Su Yiming became the first Chinese athlete to win gold in Olympic snowboarding.
  • Gao Tingyu became the first Chinese male athlete to win gold in Olympic speed skating.

Medals by Sport

Chinese athletes have won medals in many Summer and Winter Olympic sports.

Summer Sports Medals

China has won medals in most Summer Olympic sports. They are especially strong in diving, weightlifting, artistic gymnastics, table tennis, shooting, and badminton.

Winter Sports Medals

China has won medals in 7 out of 15 Winter Olympic sports. Most of their gold medals and half of their total medals come from short track speed skating.

Flag Bearers

The flag bearer is an athlete who carries their country's flag during the opening or closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

Summer Games Flag Bearers

Games	Opening	Gender	Sport	Closing	Gender	Sport
1984 Los Angeles	Wang Libin	M	Basketball
1988 Seoul	Song Tao	M	Basketball
1992 Barcelona	Song Ligang	M	Basketball
1996 Atlanta	Liu Yudong	M	Basketball
2000 Sydney
2004 Athens	Yao Ming	M	Basketball	Liu Xiang	M	Athletics
2008 Beijing				Zhang Ning	F	Badminton
2012 London	Yi Jianlian	M	Basketball	Xu Lijia	F	Sailing
2016 Rio de Janeiro	Lei Sheng	M	Fencing	Ding Ning	F	Table tennis
2020 Tokyo	Zhao Shuai	M	Taekwondo	Su Bingtian	M	Athletics
	Zhu Ting	F	Volleyball
2024 Paris	Ma Long	M	Table tennis	Li Fabin	M	Weightlifting
	Feng Yu	F	Artistic swimming	Ou Zixia	F	Field hockey

Winter Games Flag Bearers

Games	Opening	Gender	Sport	Closing	Gender	Sport
1980 Lake Placid	Zhao Weichang	M	Speed skating
1984 Sarajevo	Zhao Shijian	M	Speed skating
1988 Calgary	Zhang Shubin	M	Figure skating
1992 Albertville	Song Chen	M	Speed skating
1994 Lillehammer	Liu Gongfei	M	Speed skating
1998 Nagano	Zhao Hongbo	M	Figure skating
2002 Salt Lake City	Zhang Min	M	Figure skating
2006 Turin	Yang Yang (A)	F	Short track speed skating	Han Xiaopeng	M	Freestyle skiing
2010 Vancouver	Han Xiaopeng	M	Freestyle skiing	Zhao Hongbo	M	Figure skating
2014 Sochi	Tong Jian	M	Figure skating	Liu Qiuhong	F	Short track speed skating
2018 Pyeongchang	Zhou Yang	F	Short track speed skating	Wu Dajing	M	Short track speed skating
2022 Beijing	Gao Tingyu	M	Speed skating	Gao Tingyu	M	Speed skating
	Zhao Dan	F	Skeleton	Xu Mengtao	F	Freestyle skiing

Olympic Milestones for China

China has achieved many important milestones in the Olympic Games.

Summer Games Milestones

• 1st medal: Xu Haifeng, Shooting, 1984
• 1st gold medal: Xu Haifeng, Shooting, 1984
• 10th gold medal: Li Ning, Gymnastics, 1984
• 50th gold medal: Deng Yaping, Table tennis, 1996
• 100th gold medal: Zhang Yining, Table tennis, 2004
• 200th gold medal: Chen Ruolin, Diving, 2012
• 300th gold medal: Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, Table tennis, 2024

Winter Games Milestones

• 1st medal: Ye Qiaobo, Speed skating, 1992
• 1st gold medal: Yang Yang (A), Short track speed skating, 2002
• 10th gold medal: Li Jianrou, Short track speed skating, 2014

Olympic Mottos and Logos for China-Hosted Games

China has hosted the Olympic Games three times, each with its own special motto.

2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing

This was the first time China hosted the Olympic Games. The motto was One World One Dream.

2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing

This was the second time China hosted an Olympic event. The motto was Share the Games, Share our Dreams.

2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

This was the third time China hosted the Olympics, and the second time in Beijing. The motto was Together for a Shared Future.

Doping and Medals

Sometimes, athletes break the rules by using banned substances to improve their performance. This is called doping.

China has had 3 Olympic medals taken away because of doping violations. All three were from female weightlifters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Also, the women's gymnastics team lost a bronze medal from the 2000 Olympics because one athlete was too young to compete.

There have been claims of widespread doping in Chinese sports in the past. These claims were investigated by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency, but no official conclusions or actions were taken.

Images for kids

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  Number of medals won by China at the summer Olympic Games from 1952 to 2020

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  Number of medals won by China at the Olympic Winter Games from 1980 to 2022

See also

• Category:Olympic competitors for China
• List of Olympic medalists for China
• China at the Asian Games
• China at the Paralympics
• Sport in China
• Chinese Olympic politics
• Sports and Olympic Committee of Macau, China