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Poland at the Olympics facts for kids

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Poland at the
Olympics
Flag of Poland.svg
IOC code POL
NOC Polish Olympic Committee
Website  
Medals
Ranked 23rd
Gold Silver Bronze Total
80 100 151 331
Summer appearances
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2016
  • 2020
Winter appearances
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1994
  • 1998
  • 2002
  • 2006
  • 2010
  • 2014
  • 2018
Other related appearances
 Austria (1908–1912)
 Russian Empire (1912)

Poland first joined the Olympic Games in 1924. Since then, Polish athletes have competed in almost every Summer Olympic Games. The only time they missed was in 1984. This was because they had to join a boycott led by the Soviet Union. Poland has also taken part in every Winter Olympic Games.

Polish athletes have won a total of 331 medals. These include 80 gold, 100 silver, and 151 bronze medals. They have won these medals in 21 different summer sports and 5 different winter sports. Poland is currently 21st in the all-time Olympic Games medal count. Athletics is the sport where they have won the most medals. Poland is the second most successful country in terms of total medals that has never hosted the Olympics. Their best performance was at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. There, Polish athletes won 7 gold, 6 silver, and 13 bronze medals. They finished sixth in the overall medal table.

Poland's most successful teams have been in football and volleyball. They rank fifth all-time in modern pentathlon. They are also seventh in athletics. Poland has also done very well in weightlifting, martial arts, and nordic skiing.

The official Olympic group for Poland is the Polish Olympic Committee. It is called Polski Komitet Olimpijski (PKOl) in Polish. This group was started in 1918 and officially recognized in 1919.

Poland's Olympic Journey

Poland officially started competing in the Olympics in 1924. However, some Polish athletes had competed before this. They represented other countries at that time. Poland's very first Olympic medal was a silver. It was won by track cyclists Franciszek Szymczyk, Jan Lazarski, Józef Lange, and Tomasz Stankiewicz. This happened in the team pursuit event at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The first gold medal for Poland was won by Halina Konopacka. She was a discus thrower at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Michał Antoniewicz, an equestrian, was the first Polish athlete to win two individual Olympic medals. He won a silver and a bronze in 1928.

Poland won its highest number of medals (32) at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. This was after they set their gold medal record (7) in Montreal at the 1976 Summer Games. Poland was later forced to boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This was a response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Games.

The most successful Polish Olympian is Irena Szewińska. She has won seven Olympic medals in total. Robert Korzeniowski has won the most gold medals for Poland, with four golds.

Olympic Medals Over Time

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

Top Polish Olympians

Athlete Sport Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
Robert Korzeniowski Athletics 1996–2004 4 0 0 4
Irena Szewińska Athletics 1964–1976 3 2 2 7
Kamil Stoch Ski jumping 2014–2018 3 0 1 4
Anita Włodarczyk Athletics 2012–2020 3 0 0 3
Justyna Kowalczyk Cross country skiing 2006–2014 2 1 2 5
Witold Woyda Fencing 1964–1972 2 1 1 4
Renata Mauer Shooting 1996–2000 2 0 1 3
Józef Szmidt Athletics 1960–1964 2 0 0 2
Waldemar Baszanowski Weightlifting 1964–1968 2 0 0 2
Jerzy Kulej Boxing 1964–1968 2 0 0 2
Józef Zapędzki Shooting 1968–1972 2 0 0 2
Waldemar Legień Judo 1988–1992 2 0 0 2
Arkadiusz Skrzypaszek Modern pentathlon 1992 2 0 0 2
Andrzej Wroński Wrestling 1988–1996 2 0 0 2
Robert Sycz Rowing 2000–2004 2 0 0 2
Tomasz Kucharski Rowing 2000–2004 2 0 0 2
Tomasz Majewski Athletics 2008–2012 2 0 0 2
Jerzy Pawłowski Fencing 1956–1968 1 3 1 5
Otylia Jędrzejczak Swimming 2000–2004 1 2 0 3
Teresa Ciepły Athletics 1960–1964 1 1 1 3
Egon Franke Fencing 1964–1968 1 1 1 3
Natalia Kaczmarek Athletics 2020-2024 1 1 1 3
Stanisława Walasiewicz Athletics 1932–1936 1 1 0 2
Elżbieta Krzesińska Athletics 1956–1960 1 1 0 2
Józef Grudzień Boxing 1964–1968 1 1 0 2
Lesław Ćmikiewicz Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Kazimierz Deyna Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Jerzy Gorgoń Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Kazimierz Kmiecik Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Grzegorz Lato Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Zygmunt Maszczyk Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Antoni Szymanowski Football 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
Bronisław Malinowski Athletics 1976–1980 1 1 0 2
Tadeusz Ślusarski Athletics 1976–1980 1 1 0 2
Jacek Wszoła Athletics 1976–1980 1 1 0 2
Jan Kowalczyk Equestrian 1980 1 1 0 2
Szymon Kołecki Weightlifting 2000–2008 1 1 0 2
Iga Baumgart-Witan Athletics 2020 1 1 0 2
Małgorzata Hołub-Kowalik Athletics 2020 1 1 0 2
Justyna Święty-Ersetic Athletics 2020 1 1 0 2
Ireneusz Paliński Weightlifting 1960–1964 1 0 1 2
Halina Górecka Athletics 1960–1964 1 0 1 2
Marian Kasprzyk Boxing 1960–1964 1 0 1 2
Ewa Kłobukowska Athletics 1964 1 0 1 2
Lech Koziejowski Fencing 1972–1980 1 0 1 2
Kazimierz Lipień Wrestling 1972–1976 1 0 1 2
Jerzy Rybicki Boxing 1976–1980 1 0 1 2
Mateusz Kusznierewicz Sailing 1996–2004 1 0 1 2
Leszek Blanik Gymnastics 2000–2008 1 0 1 2
Zbigniew Bródka Speed skating 2014 1 0 1 2
Magdalena Fularczyk Rowing 2012–2016 1 0 1 2
Wojciech Nowicki Athletics 2016-2020 1 0 1 2
Adam Małysz Ski jumping 2002–2010 0 3 1 4
Andrzej Piątkowski Fencing 1956–1964 0 2 1 3
Ryszard Zub Fencing 1956–1964 0 2 1 3
Wojciech Zabłocki Fencing 1956–1964 0 2 1 3
Marian Kuszewski Fencing 1956–1960 0 2 0 2
Artur Olech Boxing 1964–1968 0 2 0 2
Stanisław Szozda Cycling 1972–1976 0 2 0 2
Ryszard Szurkowski Cycling 1972–1976 0 2 0 2
Piotr Małachowski Athletics 2008–2016 0 2 0 2
Maja Włoszczowska Cycling 2008–2016 0 2 0 2
Karolina Naja Canoeing 2012–2020 0 1 3 4
Aneta Konieczna Canoeing 2000–2008 0 1 2 3
Beata Mikołajczyk Canoeing 2008–2016 0 1 2 3
Zbigniew Pietrzykowski Boxing 1956–1964 0 1 2 3
Józef Tracz Wrestling 1988–1996 0 1 2 3
Michał Antoniewicz Equestrian 1928 0 1 1 2
Janusz Pawłowski Judo 1980–1988 0 1 1 2
Marek Dopierała Canoeing 1988 0 1 1 2
Marek Łbik Canoeing 1988 0 1 1 2
Izabela Dylewska Canoeing 1988–1992 0 1 1 2
Artur Partyka Athletics 1992–1996 0 1 1 2
Sylwia Gruchała Fencing 2000–2004 0 1 1 2
Agata Wróbel Weightlifting 2000–2004 0 1 1 2
Katarzyna Bachleda-Curuś Speed skating 2010–2014 0 1 1 2
Katarzyna Woźniak Speed skating 2010–2014 0 1 1 2
Luiza Złotkowska Speed skating 2010–2014 0 1 1 2
Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska Rowing 2016–2020 0 1 1 2
Maria Sajdak Rowing 2016–2020 0 1 1 2
Anna Puławska Canoeing 2020 0 1 1 2
Marian Zieliński Weightlifting 1956–1968 0 0 3 3
Teodor Kocerka Rowing 1952–1960 0 0 2 2
Krystyna Czajkowska Volleyball 1964–1968 0 0 2 2
Krystyna Jakubowska Volleyball 1964–1968 0 0 2 2
Krystyna Krupa Volleyball 1964–1968 0 0 2 2
Jadwiga Książek Volleyball 1964–1968 0 0 2 2
Józefa Ledwig Volleyball 1964–1968 0 0 2 2
Zofia Szczęśniewska Volleyball 1964–1968 0 0 2 2
Leszek Błażyński Boxing 1972–1976 0 0 2 2
Janusz Gortat Boxing 1972–1976 0 0 2 2
Beata Sokołowska-Kulesza Canoeing 2000–2004 0 0 2 2
Dawid Kubacki Ski jumping 2018–2022 0 0 2 2

Flag Bearers for Poland

Main article: List of flag bearers for Poland at the Olympics

See also

  • Category:Olympic competitors for Poland
  • Poland at the Paralympics
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