Soviet Union at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Soviet Union at the Olympics
Flag of the Soviet Union
IOC code	URS
NOC	Soviet Olympic Committee
Medals Ranked 2nd	Gold Silver Bronze Total 473 376 355 1,204
Summer appearances
1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988
Winter appearances
1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988
Other related appearances
Russian Empire (1900–1912)  Estonia (1920–1936, 1992–)  Latvia (1924–1936, 1992–)  Lithuania (1924–1928, 1992–)  Unified Team (1992)  Armenia (1994–)  Belarus (1994–2022)  Georgia (1994–)  Kazakhstan (1994–)  Kyrgyzstan (1994–)  Moldova (1994–)  Russia (1994–2016)  Ukraine (1994–)  Uzbekistan (1994–)  Azerbaijan (1996–)  Tajikistan (1996–)  Turkmenistan (1996–)  Olympic Athletes from Russia (2018W)  ROC (2020)  ROC (2022)

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) first joined the Olympic Games in 1952. They competed in both the Summer and Winter Games 18 times. The Soviet team was very successful.

In six of their nine Summer Olympic Games appearances, they won the most gold medals. They ranked second three times. The USSR became a major competitor to the United States in the Summer Games.

For the Winter Olympic Games, the Soviet team ranked first in gold medals seven times. They were second twice in their nine appearances. Many believe the Soviet Union's success came from the government investing a lot in sports. This helped them achieve political goals on the world stage.

Joining the Olympic Movement

After the Russian Revolution (1917) and the Russian Civil War (1917–1922), the Soviet Union did not join international sports events. This was due to their political beliefs. However, after World War II (1939–1945), Soviet leaders saw the Olympic Games as a way to promote their ideas of communism.

The Olympic Committee of the USSR was created on April 21, 1951. The IOC officially recognized this new group on May 7, 1951. In the same year, Konstantin Andrianov became an IOC member. This meant the USSR officially became part of the Olympic Movement.

First Olympic Wins

The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki were the first Olympic Games for Soviet athletes. On July 20, 1952, Nina Romashkova made history. She won the first Olympic gold medal for Soviet sport in the women's discus throw. Romashkova's throw of 51.42 meters set a new Olympic record.

The 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo were the first Winter Games for Soviet athletes. There, Lyubov Kozyreva won the first Winter Olympic gold medal for Soviet sport. She competed in the women's cross-country skiing 10 km event.

Hosting and Boycotts

The USSR hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The United States and many other countries chose not to attend these Games. This was a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In return, the USSR led a boycott of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

The Soviet Union officially ended on December 26, 1991. However, The Olympic Committee of the USSR continued until March 12, 1992, when it closed down.

In 1992, seven of the 15 former Soviet republics competed together. They were called the Unified Team. They marched under the Olympic Flag at the Albertville Games. They finished second in the medal count. The Unified Team also competed in the Barcelona Games later that year. There, 12 of the 15 former republics were represented. They finished first in the medal rankings at those Games.

Hosted Games

The Soviet Union hosted the Olympic Games one time.

Unsuccessful Bids

The Soviet Union also tried to host the Games another time but was not chosen.

Olympic Participation Timeline

This table shows how different teams from the region participated over time.

Date	Team
1900–1912	Russian Empire (RU1)
1920	Estonia (EST)
1924–1936		Latvia (LAT)	Lithuania (LTU)	as part of  Romania
1952–1988	Soviet Union (URS)
1992	Estonia (EST)	Latvia (LAT)	Lithuania (LTU)	Unified Team (EUN)
1994				Moldova (MDA)	Russia (RUS)	Belarus (BLR)	Armenia (ARM),  Georgia (GEO),  Kazakhstan (KAZ),  Kyrgyzstan (KGZ),  Ukraine (UKR),  Uzbekistan (UZB)
1996–2016								Azerbaijan (AZE),  Tajikistan (TJK),  Turkmenistan (TKM)
2018					Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR)
2020–2022					Russian Olympic Committee (ROC)
2024–					Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)

Olympic Medal Tables

*A purple border means the Games were held in the home country.

Medals at Summer Games Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1952 Helsinki 295 22 30 19 71 2 1956 Melbourne 283 37 29 32 98 1 1960 Rome 284 43 29 31 103 1 1964 Tokyo 319 30 31 35 96 2 1968 Mexico City 313 29 32 30 91 2 1972 Munich 373 50 27 22 99 1 1976 Montreal 410 49 41 35 125 1 1980 Moscow 489 80 69 46 195 1 1984 Los Angeles did not participate 1988 Seoul 481 55 31 46 132 1 Total 395 319 296 1010 2

Medals at Winter Games Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 55 7 3 6 16 1 1960 Squaw Valley 62 7 5 9 21 1 1964 Innsbruck 69 11 8 6 25 1 1968 Grenoble 74 5 5 3 13 2 1972 Sapporo 78 8 5 3 16 1 1976 Innsbruck 79 13 6 8 27 1 1980 Lake Placid 86 10 6 6 22 1 1984 Sarajevo 99 6 10 9 25 2 1988 Calgary 101 11 9 9 29 1 Total 78 57 59 194 4

See also

In Spanish: Unión Soviética en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• List of flag bearers for the Soviet Union at the Olympics
• Category:Olympic competitors for the Soviet Union
• Soviet Union at the Paralympics