United States at the Olympics facts for kids
United States at the Olympics is a history which starts in the 1890s.
The International Olympic Committee's official abbreviation for the United States is USA.
History
The United States has been to every Olympic Games, except the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is the National Olympic Committee for the United States.
Thomas Burke was the first athlete to represent the United States at the Olympics. He took first place in both the 100 meters and the 400 meters of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. US athlete Michael Phelps has won the most medals of any Olympic athlete of any nation. He has 22 Olympic medals, including 18 golds.
American athletes have won a total of 2400 medals at the Summer Olympic Games and another 253 at the Winter Olympic Games.
Hosted Games
The United States has hosted the Games eight times, four times each for the Summer and Winter Games:
| Games | Host city | Dates | Nations | Participants | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 Summer Olympics | St. Louis, Missouri | July 1 – November 23 | 12 | 651 | 91 |
| 1932 Winter Olympics | Lake Placid, New York | February 7–15 | 17 | 252 | 14 |
| 1932 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, California | July 30 – August 14 | 37 | 1332 | 117 |
| 1960 Winter Olympics | Squaw Valley, California | February 2–20 | 30 | 665 | 27 |
| 1980 Winter Olympics | Lake Placid, New York | February 13–24 | 37 | 1072 | 38 |
| 1984 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, California | July 20 – August 18 | 140 | 6829 | 221 |
| 1996 Summer Olympics | Atlanta, Georgia | July 18 – August 4 | 197 | 10318 | 271 |
| 2002 Winter Olympics | Salt Lake City, Utah | February 8–24 | 77 | 2399 | 78 |
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