Zimbabwe at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zimbabwe at the Olympics
IOC code	ZIM
NOC	Zimbabwe Olympic Committee
Medals Ranked 86th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 3 4 1 8
Summer appearances
1928 1932–1956 1960 1964 1968–1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
2014 2018
Other related appearances
Rhodesia (1928-1964)

Zimbabwe first joined the Olympic Games under its current name in 1980. Since then, they have sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games. Before 1980, the country competed as Rhodesia in 1928, 1960, and 1964.

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi was the first time Zimbabwe took part in the Winter Olympic Games. A Zimbabwean-born athlete named Luke Steyn competed in alpine skiing.

Zimbabwean athletes have won a total of eight medals. These include three gold, four silver, and one bronze medal, all from just two sports. Seven of these medals were won by the amazing swimmer Kirsty Coventry in 2004 and 2008. The other medal was a gold, won by the women's national field hockey team in 1980.

The National Olympic Committee for Zimbabwe was started in 1934. The International Olympic Committee officially recognized it in 1980.

Zimbabwe's Olympic Journey

Southern Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe, first joined the Olympic Games in 1928. Back then, they competed as Rhodesia. After 1928, Rhodesia did not compete again until 1960. In 1960, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland competed under the name Rhodesia in Rome.

Southern Rhodesia then competed alone as Rhodesia one last time in 1964. During these early years, the country always competed as a British territory.

Rhodesia could not take part in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. This was because of rules about passports. After 1970, when Rhodesia became an independent country, it struggled to compete in the Olympics.

Even though Rhodesia returned for the 1972 Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked them to leave just four days before the opening ceremony. This happened because many African countries did not agree with Rhodesia's government and threatened not to compete. The IOC voted to withdraw Rhodesia's invitation. Rhodesia also did not compete in the 1976 Summer Olympics. The IOC decided to remove them from the committee after checking their sports facilities.

The country's new name, Zimbabwe, made its first Olympic appearance in 1980.

Summer Games Medals

This table shows how many medals Zimbabwe has won at the Summer Olympic Games over the years. You can see when they participated and how many gold, silver, and bronze medals they earned.

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1928 Amsterdam	2	0	0	0	0	–
1932 Los Angeles	did not participate
1936 Berlin
1948 London
1956 Melbourne
1960 Rome	14	0	0	0	0	–
1964 Tokyo	29	0	0	0	0	–
1968 Mexico City	did not participate
1972 Munich
1976 Montreal
1980 Moscow	42	1	0	0	1	23
1984 Los Angeles	15	0	0	0	0	–
1988 Seoul	29	0	0	0	0	–
1992 Barcelona	19	0	0	0	0	–
1996 Atlanta	13	0	0	0	0	–
2000 Sydney	16	0	0	0	0	–
2004 Athens	12	1	1	1	3	49
2008 Beijing	13	1	3	0	4	38
2012 London	7	0	0	0	0	–
2016 Rio de Janeiro	31	0	0	0	0	–
2020 Tokyo	5	0	0	0	0	–
2024 Paris	7	0	0	0	0	–
2028 Los Angeles	future event
Total		3	4	1	8	86

Winter Games Medals

Zimbabwe has only participated in the Winter Olympics once. This table shows their performance.

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
2014 Sochi	1	0	0	0	0	–
2018 Pyeongchang	did not participate
2022 Beijing
2026 Milan/Cortina	future event
Total		0	0	0	0	–

Medals by Sport

Zimbabwe has won medals in two sports: swimming and field hockey. Here's how the medals are split between them.

List of Medal Winners

Here are the amazing athletes and teams who have won Olympic medals for Zimbabwe.

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
1 Gold	Field hockey team Arlene Boxhall Liz Chase Sandra Chick Gillian Cowley Patricia Davies Sarah English Maureen George Ann Grant Susan Huggett Patricia McKillop Brenda Phillips Christine Prinsloo Sonia Robertson Anthea Stewart Helen Volk Linda Watson	1980 Moscow	Field hockey	Women's competition
1 Gold	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2004 Athens	Swimming	Women's 200-metre backstroke
1 Gold	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2008 Beijing	Swimming	Women's 200-metre backstroke
2 Silver	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2004 Athens	Swimming	Women's 100-metre backstroke
2 Silver	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2008 Beijing	Swimming	Women's 400-metre individual medley
2 Silver	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2008 Beijing	Swimming	Women's 100-metre backstroke
2 Silver	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2008 Beijing	Swimming	Women's 200-metre individual medley
3 Bronze	Coventry, KirstyKirsty Coventry	2004 Athens	Swimming	Women's 200-metre individual medley

See also

• Category:Olympic competitors for Zimbabwe
• Rhodesia at the Olympics
• Zimbabwe at the Paralympics
• List of flag bearers for Zimbabwe at the Olympics
• Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics