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France at the Olympics

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France at the
Olympics
IOC codeFRA
NOCFrench National Olympic and Sports Committee
Websitewww.franceolympique.com (in French)
Medals
Ranked 6th
Gold
276
Silver
307
Bronze
350
Total
933
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

The modern Olympic Games were founded by French historian Pierre de Coubertin. France has competed in every edition (both Summer and Winter), with the possible exception of the 1904 Games (as sources disagree about whether athlete Albert Corey competed for the United States or France[1][2]).

Entering 2024, French athletes had won 751 medals at the Summer Olympic Games in a wide variety of sports, achieving particular success in fencing and cycling. France has won an additional 138 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, notably in alpine skiing.

The record for titles at the Olympic Games is held by biathlete Martin Fourcade with five gold medals at the Winter Games and judoka Teddy Riner with five gold medals at the Summer Games, while the record for podiums is held by fencers Philippe Cattiau and Roger Ducret, in the 1920s-1930s with eight medals each, Martin Fourcade and Teddy Riner following with seven medals each (two silver in addition to these five titles for the former and two bronze for the latter), ahead of three other fencers, Lucien Gaudin, Christian d'Oriola and Philippe Riboud (six medals).

Hosted Games

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French host cities of the Olympic Games

In June 1894, during the first Olympic Congress in Paris, on the initiative of Pierre de Coubertin, it was decided to resume the Olympic Games and to found the IOC. In 1900, Paris hosted the second modern Summer Olympic Games, which took place as part of the World Exhibition. The Olympics were held there in Paris a second time in 1924 and a third time in 2024. This makes Paris, together with London, the current record city host, to which Los Angeles will also be added with its third hosting of the Summer Olympics in 2028. In total, France has hosted the Olympic games on six ocassions and is scheduled to host a seventh with the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

Games Host city Dates Nations Participants Events
1900 Summer Olympics Paris 14 May – 28 October 24 997 95
1924 Winter Olympics Chamonix 25 January – 4 February 16 258 16
1924 Summer Olympics Paris 5 – 27 July 44 3,089 126
1968 Winter Olympics Grenoble 6 – 18 February 37 1,158 35
1992 Winter Olympics Albertville 4 – 23 February 64 1,801 57
2024 Summer Olympics Paris 26 July – 11 August 206 10,714 329
2030 Winter Olympics French Alps 1 – 17 February TBC TBC TBC

Overview of Olympic participation

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

Summary by sport

Aquatics

Artistic Swimming

France's only artistic swimming medal came in the Women's duet at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Games Swimmers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
2000 Sydney 9 2/2 0 0 1 1
Total 0 0 1 1

Diving

France's only diving medal came in the women's three-metre springboard in 1952.

Games Divers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1952 Helsinki 4 4/4 0 1 0 1
Total 0 1 0 1

Swimming

France first competed in swimming at the Paris 1900 Games, with 47 swimmers, taking five medals, including one Gold.

Games Swimmers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 47 7/7 1 2 2 5
1932 5 5/11 0 1 0 1
1948 17 11/11 0 0 2 2
1952 16 11/11 1 1 1 3
1964 16 8/18 0 1 0 1
1968 16 ?/29 0 0 1 1
1984 16 15/29 0 1 1 2
1988 25 29/31 0 0 2 2
1992 25 25/31 0 0 3 3
2000 19 22/32 0 1 0 1
2004 21 23/32 1 2 3 6
2008 35 27/34 1 2 3 6
2012 31 24/34 4 2 1 7
2016 30 24/34 0 2 1 3
2020 28 28/37 0 1 0 1
2024 33 30/37 4 1 2 7
Total 12 17 22 51

Water Polo

France was a winner of 1924 tournament, and have twice more finished third.

Games Water polo players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 11 1/1 0 0 1 1
1924 Paris 11 1/1 1 0 0 1
1928 Amsterdam 9 1/1 0 0 1 1
Total 1 0 2 3

Archery

France competed in archery in its first Olympic appearance in Paris 1900. The French team there took 13 of the 20 medals, including gold in 4 of the 7 events.

Games Archers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1900 129 7 4 5 4 13 1
1904 Did not compete
1908 15 3 1 1 1 3 2
1912 No competition
1920 8 10 1 4 1 6 2
1924-1968 Did not compete
1972 5 2 0 0 0 0 -
1976 2 2 0 0 0 0 -
1980 No Competition
1984 2 2 0 0 0 0 -
1988 6 4 0 0 0 0 -
1992 6 4 1 0 0 1 2
1996 4 4 0 0 0 0 -
2000 5 4 0 0 0 0 -
2004 6 4 0 0 0 0 -
2008 5 4 0 0 1 1 5
2012 4 4 0 0 0 0 -
2016 3 4 0 1 0 1 3
2020 4 5 0 0 0 0 -
2024 6 5 0 1 1 2 2
Total 7 12 8 27 4

Athletics

France first competed in athletics at the inaugural 1896 Games, winning a silver and a bronze. The nation's first gold medal in the sport is a disputed one; Michel Théato was Luxembourgish but living in Paris; his win in the 1900 marathon is credited to France by the International Olympic Committee, which rejected a petition by Luxembourg to change the Olympic record of Théato's nationality.[3]

Games Athletes Events Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1896 5 9/12 0 1 1 2
1900 23 18/23 1 4 2 7
1980 25 28 0 0 1 1 16
1984 21 41 1 1 2 4 9
1988 55 42 0 0 1 1 18
1992 57 43 1 0 0 1 13
1996 49 44 3 0 1 4 4
2000 53 46 0 0 0 0 -
2004 61 46 0 0 2 2 33
2008 52 57 0 1 2 3 27
2012 52 47 1 1 1 3 12
2016 54 47 0 3 3 6 21
2020 61 48 0 1 0 1 31
2024 90 48 0 1 0 1 31
Total 14 27 29 70 16

Basque pelota

In the only appearance of basque pelota as a medal sport at the Olympics in 1900, the French team (one of only two teams to enter) withdrew shortly before the competition started, and the match was not played. The Spanish pair is credited with the gold medal.[4][5]

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 2 1/1 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0

Cricket

France is one of two nations to have competed in the only Olympic cricket competition, in 1900. The French team lost to a British team, taking second place.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 12 1/1 0 1 0 1
Total 0 1 0 1

Croquet

France was the only nation to compete in the only Olympic croquet competitions, in 1900.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 10 3/3 3 2 2 7
Total 3 2 2 7

Cycling

France first competed in cycling in 1896, winning four of the six cycling events—all of the events which France contested. France has won more gold medals (41) and total medals (91) in the sport than any other nation.

Games Cyclists Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 2 4/6 4 1 1 6
Total 41 27 23 91

Equestrian

France has won the third-most gold medals and fourth-most total medals in equestrian sports. The nation hosted the first equestrian events in Paris 1900, winning gold medals in two of the five events.

Games Riders Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 39 5/5 2 2 4 8
Total 14 13 10 37

Fencing

France has won the second-most gold medals and second-most total medals in fencing, in each case behind Italy.

Games Fencers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 4 2/3 1 2 0 3
1900 Paris 211 7/7 5 5 5 15
Total 42 41 35 118

Football

France competed in the first men's Olympic football "tournament," winning one match and losing another to earn a second place finish currently recognized as a silver medal performance. The nation was a frequent competitor from then through 1996, peaking with a gold medal win in 1984. France did not qualify for the men's tournament from 2000 to 2016, but has qualified for the 2020 Games.

France did not qualify for the first four women's tournaments from 1996 to 2008. The French women debuted in 2012, placing 4th, and followed that with a 5th-place finish in 2016.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 13 1/1 0 1 0 1
Total 1 1 0 2

Golf

France competed in the first Olympic golf tournaments in 1900, which the nation hosted. The French golfers' best results that year were 4th place for the women and 10th place for the men. France did not compete in the 1904 golf tournaments. When the sport returned to the Olympics in 2016, France had two men and two women compete; the best result was Grégory Bourdy's 21st-place finish.

Games Fencers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 7 2/2 0 0 0 0
2016 Rio de Janeiro 4 2/2 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0

Gymnastics

France had one gymnast participate in one event in the inaugural 1896 Games. The nation's first medals in the sport came when Paris hosted the Games in 1900; the only event on the schedule was the men's individual all-around, in which France swept the top 18 places (having 108 of the 135 competing gymnasts).

Games Gymnasts Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 1 1/8 0 0 0 0
1900 Paris 108 1/1 1 1 1 3
Total 3 10 9 22

Polo

France competed at two of the five editions of Olympic polo tournaments, both occasions when Paris hosted the Games in 1900 and 1924. The nation is formally credited with no medals, though French players competed on a mixed team in 1900 (along with a British player) that took bronze. France had a fully-French team as well in 1900, which took fifth place. Both the all-French and the mixed team went 0–1 (losing to the same team), with the mixed team placed higher due to a bye. The French team in 1924 went 0–4 in the round-robin tournament. Thus, the overall Olympic record of teams with French polo players is 0–6.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 7 1/1 0 0 0 0[6]
1924 Paris 5 1/1 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0[6]

Rowing

France hosted the inaugural Olympic rowing contests in Paris 1900. France won 2 of the 5 gold medals, and a French boy served as cox in the final for the otherwise Dutch team that won the coxed pair.

Games Rowers Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 47 4/4 2 3 1 6[7]
Total 8 15 14 37

Rugby

France hosted the inaugural Olympic rugby union contest in 1900, winning the gold medal over Germany and Great Britain. France did not play in 1908, but returned in 1920 (losing the single match to the United States) and 1924 (beating Romania but losing again to the United States).

With the return of rugby, in the form of rugby sevens, in 2016, France competed again. France had both men's and women's teams in 2016; both advanced out of pool play to the quarterfinals but were defeated there.

Games Players Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1900 Paris 17 1/1 1 0 0 1
1920 Antwerp 15 1/1 0 1 0 1
1924 Paris 30 1/1 0 1 0 1
2016 Rio de Janeiro 25 2/2 0 0 0 0
Total 1 2 0 3

Sailing

France hosted the first Olympic sailing competitions in 1900, earning 24 total medals in the 13 events, including 5 golds.

Games No. Sailors Events Gold Silver Bronze Total Ranking
1900 451 130/13 5 9 10 24 1
1908 3 1/4 0 0 1 1 4
1912 3 1/4 1 0 0 1 3
1920 3 1/14 0 1 0 1 6
1924 9 3/3 0 0 1 1 5
1928 13 3/3 1 0 0 1 3
1932 3 2/4 1 0 0 1 3
1936 14 4/4 0 0 0 0
1948 17 5/5 0 0 0 0
1952 9 4/5 0 0 0 0
1956 8 4/5 0 0 0 0
1960 11 5/5 0 0 0 0
1964 3 2/5 0 0 0 0
1968 9 4/5 0 0 0 0
1972 11 5/6 1 1 0 2 2
1976 10 5/6 0 0 0 0
1980 0 0/6 0 0 0 0
1984 11 6/7 0 0 1 1 8
1988 13 7/8 2 0 0 2 1
1992 17 10/10 2 0 0 2 2
1996 13 8/10 0 0 0 0
2000 12 7/11 0 0 0 0
2004 18 11/11 1 0 1 2 7
2008 18 11/11 0 1 2 3 9
2012 16 10/10 0 0 1 1 12
2016 15 10/10 1 0 2 3 6
2020 14 9/10 0 2 1 3 8
Total 15 14 20 49 4

Shooting

France competed in shooting at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one shooter in one event, winning no medals. The nation's first medals came when France hosted the Games in 1900, with 3 golds and 10 total medals that year.

Games Shooters Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 1 1/5 0 0 0 0
1900 Paris 37 9/9 3 4 3 10
Total 9 14 10 33

Tennis

France first competed in tennis at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one player competing in men's singles and losing in the first round.

Games Athletes Events Gold Silver Bronze Total
1896 Athens 1 1/2 0 0 0 0
1900 Paris 14 4/4 0 1 1 2[8]
Total 5 6 8 19

See also

References

  1. ^ "St. Louis 1904 Summer Olympics - Athletes, Medals & Results". 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Olympic Games | History, Locations, & Winners".
  3. ^ "Michel THEATO (1878-1919)". pierrelagrue-jo.com. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  4. ^ 1900 basque pelota results from olympic.org
  5. ^ "Two-Man Teams With Cesta, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Does not include a bronze medal by a mixed team that included French players.
  7. ^ Does not include a gold medal as part of a mixed team in 1900.
  8. ^ Does not include a silver medal earned as part of a mixed team in tennis in 1900
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