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Originally having participated in Olympics as the delegation of the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...
(ROC) from 1924 (Summer Olympics) to 1976 (Winter Olympics), China competed at the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
under the name of the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
(PRC) for the first time in 1952, at the Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, although they only arrived in time to participate in one event.10th–15th Olympic Games: 1936–1952
Chinese Olympic Committee The Chinese Olympic Committee (; IOC code: CHN) has been the officially designated body of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding the Olympic Games and other affiliated international sport federations since 1979, when the Nagoya Resol ...
.
That year, the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
(IOC) allowed both the PRC and ROC (Republic of China) (which fled to Taiwan after the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...
) to compete, although the latter withdrew in protest. Due to the dispute over the political status of China, the PRC did not participate in the Olympics again until the
1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...
in Lake Placid, United States. Their first appearance at the
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...
after 1952 was the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
in Los Angeles, United States.23rd Olympic Games: Los Angeles 1984
Chinese Olympic Committee The Chinese Olympic Committee (; IOC code: CHN) has been the officially designated body of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding the Olympic Games and other affiliated international sport federations since 1979, when the Nagoya Resol ...
.
The People's Republic of China staged boycotts of the Games of the XVI Olympiad in Melbourne Australia, Games of the XVII Olympiad in Rome Italy, Games of the XVIII Olympiad in Tokyo Japan, Games of the XIX Olympiad in Mexico City Mexico, Games of the XX Olympiad in Munich Germany, and Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal Canada. China also boycott the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow USSR due to the American-led boycott and the ongoing
Sino-Soviet split The Sino-Soviet split was the breaking of political relations between the China, People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union caused by Doctrine, doctrinal divergences that arose from their different interpretations and practical applications ...
, together with the other countries. As of 2022, China has finished first in the Summer Olympics once, second three times, third twice and third once in the Winter Olympics. With the nation's 11th appearance at the Summer and 12th appearance at the Winter Olympics, China is the most successful country overall in the
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
region, making them the 5th most successful country in Olympics history, after the US, the Soviet Union, Germany and Great Britain. The
Chinese Olympic Committee The Chinese Olympic Committee (; IOC code: CHN) has been the officially designated body of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding the Olympic Games and other affiliated international sport federations since 1979, when the Nagoya Resol ...
in its current form was recognized in 1979. Before the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...
, athletes competed as the Republic of China (ROC) at the Olympics. The ROC continued to compete from 1952 (Summer Olympics) to 1976 (Winter Olympics), but only representing athletes from the island of Taiwan (although the football team members of ROC in the 1960 Olympic Games were overwhelmingly Hong Kongers). The dispute over use of the name ''China'' resulted in the PRC boycotting the Games completely during these years. In 1979, the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
passed a resolution for the ROC team to be designated ''
Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by the ...
'', and this opened the door for the PRC to finally join the Olympic movement.
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
has had a distinct
National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
since 1950 and has competed at the Games since 1952.SF&OC History
Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
After the territory was returned to the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was created in 1997, this arrangement has continued, with Hong Kong competing independently from the rest of the nation under the name ''
Hong Kong, China Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta ...
''.


Olympic bids and hosted Games

The People's Republic of China has hosted the Games on two occasions. Beijing is the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.


Hosted Games


Unsuccessful bids


Overview of Olympic participation


Timeline of participation


China at the Summer Olympics


China at the Winter Olympics


Medals by sports


Medals by summer sport

Chinese athletes have won medals in most of the current Summer Olympics sports.
The exceptions are
triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
,
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
,
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
,
skateboarding Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation ...
,
sport climbing Sport climbing (or Bolted climbing) is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors (or bolts), permanently fixed into the rock for climber protection, in which a rope that is attached to the climber is clipped into the anchors t ...
,
surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...
and
water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...
.


Medals by winter sport

Chinese athletes have won medals in 7 out of 15 current Winter Olympics sports.
Most of the golds and half of the medals come from the sport of
short track speed skating Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as ...
.
Best results in non-medaling sports:


Doping

A former Chinese doctor named Xue Yinxian has claimed the occurrence of alleged systematic doping of Chinese athletes in the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
(and other international sport events) in 2012 and 2017. She claims more than 10,000 athletes in China were doped in the systematic
Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...
doping program and that they received performance-enhancing drugs in the 1980s and 1990s. She claims that all international medals (both in the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
and other international competitions) that were won by Chinese athletes in the 1980s and 1990s must be revoked. This is contrary to previous statements by the
Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...
that had denied involvement in systematic doping and claimed that athletes doped individually. The
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
and
World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...
investigated these allegations with no conclusions or actions taken.


Disqualified medalists

China has had four Olympic medals stripped after disqualifications.


Upgraded medalists


History


Early appearance and hiatus

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, PRC sent a delegation to the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
for the first time at the
1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...
in Helsinki, Finland. The Chinese delegation (including athletes and officials) consisted of 38 men and 2 women, including the men's football team, the men's basketball team, and one swimmer. Only the swimmer arrived in time to take part in the official competition, and the football team played two friendly matches. The Chinese stayed ten days in Helsinki and participated in the closing ceremony. The Republic of China's (ROC) team withdrew from the Games on July 17 in response to the IOC's decision to allow both PRC and ROC sportsmen and women to compete. This marked the beginning of the "two Chinas" conflict in the Olympic Movement, which resulted in the
Chinese Olympic Committee The Chinese Olympic Committee (; IOC code: CHN) has been the officially designated body of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding the Olympic Games and other affiliated international sport federations since 1979, when the Nagoya Resol ...
's withdrawal from the IOC in August 1958. In the 1970s, China normalized her relations with the United States through Ping Pong Diplomacy, and established diplomatic relations with the United States on January 1, 1979. The normalization finally led to the
Chinese Olympic Committee The Chinese Olympic Committee (; IOC code: CHN) has been the officially designated body of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding the Olympic Games and other affiliated international sport federations since 1979, when the Nagoya Resol ...
's return to the IOC on October 25, 1979.


Sports summary

Till 2012, China won three-quarters of their gold medals (152 out of 201) and two-thirds of their medals (311 out of 473) in six sports:
table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
,
badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...
, diving,
gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...
,
weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; pro ...
, and
shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...
. China recently dominated the gold medals in three of them, table tennis, badminton and diving. China won all golds four times in table tennis and one time in badminton, and won three-quarters of all diving golds since 1992. The total dominance in table tennis and badminton also leads to negative consequences. Due to the low participations among non-Asian countries, these two sports may lose their positions in the Summer Olympics just like baseball and softball did after 2008. While through the years, Chinese athletes got many breakthroughs in other sports that are traditionally China's weak sports. Among them, swimming is the potential one that may get into top five sports of China in the near future.


1984

China won 15 golds and ranked 4th at the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
in Los Angeles.
Xu Haifeng Xu Haifeng (; born August 1, 1957) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and he is the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. He specializes in the 50 metre pistol event. He was born in Zhangzhou ...
won the first-ever gold medal for China in the shooting event of ''50 m Pistol''. It was called "a break through zero" – an event that brought great joy to the whole Chinese nation. Li Ning won six medals in gymnastics, 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze, earning him the nickname "Prince of Gymnasts" in China. Six medals in a single Olympics is still the record for any Chinese athlete. Chinese women's volleyball team defeated USA women's team in the final and won China's first ball-game gold medal.


1988

China won 5 golds and ranked 11th at the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
at Seoul, South Korea. Li Meisu won China's first medal in athletics. China also won first medals in rowing. A silver in ''women's coxed fours'' and a bronze in ''women's eights''


1992

China won 16 golds and ranked 4th at the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
at Barcelona, Spain. Chen Yueling won China's first athletics gold medal in ''women's 10 km walk''. Chinese female swimmers glittered with 4 golds and 5 silvers. But the success was later shadowed by the doping incident of Chinese swimmers just two years later at the
1994 Asian Games The 1994 Asian Games ( ja, 1994年アジア競技大会, ''Senkyūhyakukyūjūyon-nen Ajia kyōgi taikai''), also known as the XII Asiad and the 12th Asian Games ( ja, 第12回アジア競技大会, Daijūni-kai Ajia kyōgi taikai), were held from ...
, although none of the medalists in 1992 was involved in the 1994 incident.
Deng Yaping Deng Yaping (; born February 6, 1973) is a Chinese table tennis player, who won eighteen world championships including four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997. She is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. ...
won two table tennis golds in ''women's singles'' and ''women's doubles''. IOC president
Juan Antonio Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch (Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh P ...
presented the gold medal to her after a promise made a year ago at
1991 World Table Tennis Championships The 1991 World Table Tennis Championships were held in Chiba from April 24 to May 6, 1991. North Korea and South Korea fielded a unified team under the name Korea (コリア ''Koria''), the first of all Unified Korean sporting teams. The women's ...
. Zhuang Xiaoyan won China's first judo gold medal in ''women's +72kg''. Zhang Xiaodong won silver medal in ''women's board (lechner)'', China's first medal in sailing. Chinese women's basketball team lost final to Unified team, winning silver medal, China's best result in basketball.


1996

China won 16 golds and ranked 4th again at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
at Atlanta, USA. Fu Mingxia won two diving golds in ''women's 3 m springboard'' and ''women's 10 m platform'', becoming the first female diver to accomplish this feat since 1960.
Deng Yaping Deng Yaping (; born February 6, 1973) is a Chinese table tennis player, who won eighteen world championships including four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997. She is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. ...
won two golds in table tennis again, making her the first Chinese athlete to defend two events and win four Olympic gold medals. IOC president
Juan Antonio Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch (Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh P ...
presented the gold medal to her again after a promise made four years ago at 1992 Olympics.
Liu Guoliang Liu Guoliang (; born January 10, 1976) is a retired Chinese table tennis player who has won all titles at major world tournaments including World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Games. He is the second man to achieve a career grand slam of ...
also won two table tennis golds in men's events. China won all four golds in table tennis for the first time.
Wang Junxia Wang Junxia (; born January 19, 1973) is a Chinese former long-distance runner who is the current world record holder at 3,000 meters. She also held the world record for the 10,000 meters for 23 years, between 1993 and 2016. Her best years lay b ...
won gold in ''women's 5000 m'' and silver in ''women's 10000 m''. Chinese women's football team lost final to the USA team, winning silver medal, China's first medal in football.


2000

China won 28 golds and ranked 3rd at the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
at Sydney, Australia. Wang Nan won two golds in table tennis, China again won all four golds in table tennis. Chen Zhong won China's first taekwondo gold medal in ''women's +67kg''. Jiang Cuihua won bronze in ''women's track time trial'', China's first medal in cycling. No ball-games team entered the final four, the worst performance China's since Olympic history.


2004

China won 32 golds and ranked 2nd at the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
at Athens, Greece. Liu Xiang became the first Chinese male athlete to win gold medal in an Olympic track event, ''110 m hurdles'', equaling the world record of 12.91 seconds. He became the China's flag bearer at the closing ceremony. Liu broke the world record with 12.88 seconds two years later in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Wang Yifu Wang Yifu (, born December 4, 1960 in Liaoyang, Liaoning) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and in terms of Olympic medals one of the most successful sport shooters of all times, and was the first shooter with six individual Olympic medals. He s ...
participated the Olympics for the record six consecutive times. He won gold in ''10 m air pistol'', his second gold and fourth medal in the event.
Meng Guanliang Meng Guanliang (, born January 24, 1977, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang) is a Chinese former flatwater canoeist who has competed since 1998, the gold medalists at two Olympic Games, he won the Canadian canoe C-2 500 m gold medal both in 2004 and 2008 ...
and
Yang Wenjun Yang Wenjun (, born December 25, 1983, in Fengcheng, Jiangxi) is a Chinese former flatwater canoeist who has competed since the early 2000s, the gold medalists at two Olympic Games, he won the Canadian canoe C-2 500 m gold medal both in 2004 ...
won China's first canoeing gold medal in ''men's C-2 500 m''. Li Ting and
Sun Tiantian Sun Tiantian (; ; born 12 October 1981) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. She won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles along with her partner Li Ting. Sun reached a career-high singles ranking of worl ...
won China's first tennis gold medal in ''women's doubles''. Wang Xu won China's first wrestling gold medal in ''women's freestyle 72 kg''. Chinese women's volleyball team come back from 0–2 deficit to defeat Russia women's team 3–2 in the final, winning China's second ball-game gold medal after 20 years.


2008

As host country, China won 48 golds, 22 silvers and 30 bronze, total 100 medals, ranked 1st at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
in Beijing. Guo Jingjing won two golds in diving, becoming the first Chinese diver to defend two events successfully.
Zhang Yining Zhang Yining (; born 5 October 1981) is a Chinese table tennis player who retired in 2009. She is considered one of the greatest female players in the sport's history. In terms of achievements, she is one of the most successful female table tenn ...
won two golds in table tennis, becoming the second Chinese table tennis player to defend two events successfully after
Deng Yaping Deng Yaping (; born February 6, 1973) is a Chinese table tennis player, who won eighteen world championships including four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997. She is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. ...
. Ma Lin also won two table tennis golds in men's events. China won all four golds in table tennis for the third time.
Zhong Man Zhong Man (, born February 28, 1983 in Nantong, Jiangsu) is a Chinese sabre fencer, who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the second ever gold medal for China in fencing. During the 07/08 season, he was ranked number 2 in the ...
won China's first men's fencing gold in ''men's sabre'', 24 years after Luan Jujie won China's first women's fencing gold in 1984. Zhang Juanjuan won China's first archery gold in ''women's individual'', breaking the long-time Korean dominance in the sport.
Zou Shiming Zou Shiming (; born 18 May 1981) is a Chinese former professional boxer who competed from 2013 to 2017 and held the WBO flyweight title from 2016 to 2017. As an amateur, Zou is China's most successful boxer of all time. In the light-flyweight div ...
and Zhang Xiaoping won China's first boxing golds in men's events. Yin Jian won China's first sailing gold in sailboard event in ''women's sailboard''. China won first rowing gold in ''women's quadruple sculls''. Chinese gymnasts won 11 golds, the best in history. Zou Kai won 3 golds in one team event and two individual events. China's top star Liu Xiang pulled out of the first round of ''110 m hurdles'' due to injury.


2012

China won 38 golds and finished 2nd at the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
in London, Great Britain.
Sun Yang Sun Yang (; ; born 1 December 1991) is a Chinese Olympic and world-record-holding competitive swimmer. In 2012, Sun became the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. Sun is the first male swimmer in history to earn Oly ...
, the men's 1500 m freestyle world-record-holder before the Olympics, became the first Chinese male swimmer to win gold in Olympics. He won two golds in ''men's 400 m freestyle'' and ''men's 1500 m freestyle'', breaking the Olympic record and his own world record respectively.
Ye Shiwen Ye Shiwen (; ; born 1 March 1996) is a Chinese swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in the 400 metres and 200 metres individual medley, breaking the world record in the 400 m event and the Olympic record in the 200 m event ...
became the first Chinese female swimmer to win two golds in a single Olympics. She won golds in ''women's 200 m medley'' and ''women's 400 m medley'', breaking the Olympic record and world record respectively.
Chen Ding Chen Ding (; born August 5, 1992, in Baoshan, Yunnan, China) is a Chinese racewalker who won a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. He finished the race in 1:18:46, a new Olympic record. He also won a gold medal in ...
won gold in ''men's 20 km walk'', becoming the second Chinese male athlete to win Olympic athletics gold medal after Liu Xiang did in 2004. Chen Ruolin won two golds in diving, becoming the second Chinese diver to defend two events successfully after Guo Jingjing.
Wu Minxia Wu Minxia (; born 10 November 1985) is a retired Chinese diver, specializing in the 1 metre and 3 metre springboard, and synchronized 3 metre springboard events. Entering her first major championship in 2001, Wu represented China at every Asi ...
won diving gold in ''women's sync 3m springboard'', becoming the only Chinese athlete to win three gold medals in a single event. She also won gold in ''women's 3m springboard'', giving her all three medals in three participations in this event after silver in 2004 and bronze in 2008. Zou Kai won two golds in gymnastics, becoming the only Chinese athlete to win five gold medals in Olympics.
Xu Lijia Xu Lijia (; born 30 August 1987 in Shanghai) is a Chinese sailboat racer who won a bronze medal in women's Laser Radial class at the 2008 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the same event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she was the fla ...
won gold in ''women's laser radial class'', China's first gold medal in the sailboat event of sailing. She later became the China's flag bearer at the closing ceremony.
Lin Dan Lin Dan (born 14 October 1983) is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time World champion, as well as a six-time All England champion. Widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of a ...
won badminton gold in ''men's singles'', becoming the first athlete to defend the men's singles title in Olympic badminton history. Zhao Yunlei won two golds in two badminton double events, becoming the only athlete to win two badminton gold medals in a single Olympics. Cao Zhongrong won silver in men's event of modern pentathlon, China's first medal in the sport. Chinese table tennis team won all four golds for the fourth time. Chinese badminton team won all five golds for the first time, but was a little shadowed by the disqualification of China's top seed women's double duo for not using best efforts. China's top star Liu Xiang pulled out of the first round of ''110 m hurdles'' due to injury again. Two of his three pull-outs in 12 years' career came from two Olympics first round heats. No Chinese ball-game teams entered the final four, the worst performance in Chinese Summer Olympics history.


2016

China won 26 golds and ranked 3rd at the
2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Sun Yang Sun Yang (; ; born 1 December 1991) is a Chinese Olympic and world-record-holding competitive swimmer. In 2012, Sun became the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. Sun is the first male swimmer in history to earn Oly ...
won a gold medal in men's 200 m freestyle, becoming the only Chinese male swimmer to have won gold in 2 Olympic games. Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi won China's first cycling gold medal in ''women's team sprint''. Feng Shanshan won China's first golf medal.
Dong Bin Dong Bin (; born 22 November 1988) is a Chinese track and field athlete who specialises in the triple jump. He is a two-time gold medallist at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and has a personal best of 17.58 metres, which he set winning t ...
set a new personal best (17.58 meters) in the men's triple jump event and won a bronze medal. This was China's first medal from Olympic triple jump events. Chinese women's volleyball team won a third gold medal after 12 years.
Wu Minxia Wu Minxia (; born 10 November 1985) is a retired Chinese diver, specializing in the 1 metre and 3 metre springboard, and synchronized 3 metre springboard events. Entering her first major championship in 2001, Wu represented China at every Asi ...
defended her Women's 3m Synchro event for the fourth time, becoming the only Chinese athlete to ever do so. This also makes her the most successful Chinese athlete of all time, with 5 Golds, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze.


2020

China won 38 gold, 32 silver, 18 bronze medals and ranked 2nd at the
2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in Tokyo, Japan in August 2021.
Su Bingtian Su Bingtian (; born 29 August 1989) is a professional Chinese track and field athlete specializing in the 100 metres event. , he is the only sprinter of non-African descent to run the 100 m with sub-9.90 and sub-9.85, and the first ever Asian-b ...
finished the men's 100 m semi-final with a new Asian Record at 9.83 seconds, and became the first Chinese athlete and second Asian athlete to compete in a 100 m final, in which he finished as the 6th place. He was also the flag bearer in the closing ceremony. With him, Chinese relay team won China's first medal in athletic relays. Gong Lijiao won a gold medal in women's shot put and become the first ever Chinese athlete to won a gold medal in any field events and the first Asian to win an Olympic gold medal in women's shot put. Liu Shiying won a gold medal in women's javelin throw. She became the first Asian and Chinese to win a gold medal in Olympic javelin throw events.
Lü Xiaojun Lü Xiaojun (; born 27 July 1984) is a Chinese weightlifter. He is a three-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion competing in the 77 kg category until 2018 and 81 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federati ...
lifted a combined weight of 374 kg to win a gold medal in the men's 81 kg weightlifting event. This was his third Olympic medal. He also became the oldest weightlifter champion (37 years and 4 days) in modern Olympics. He became the first ever Chinese athlete to win three gold medals in an individual event, after promoted a gold medal.


Winter Games


Sports summary

China won medals in only 6 of the 15 Winter Olympics sports. Most of the golds and half of the medals come from
short track speed skating Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as ...
.


1980–1988

No medals.


1992–1998

Ye Qiaobo Ye Qiaobo (born June 3, 1964) is a Chinese speed skater. She was born in Changchun, Jilin. She competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 dis ...
won China's first Winter Olympics medal in speed skating. Chen Lu won consecutive bronze medals in 1994 and 1998, becoming the first Chinese figure skater to medal at the Winter Olympic Games.


2002

Yang Yang (A) Yang Yang (; born 24 August 1976 in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China) is a retired Chinese short track speed skater. She is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2002 Winter Olympics and a six-time Overall World Champion for 1997–2002. Known as Yang ...
won first Winter Olympics gold medal in short track speed skating, as the first gold medal for Team China in Olympic Winter Games.


2006

Han Xiaopeng, first male athlete to win Winter Olympics gold medal in freestyle skiing.


2010

Wang Meng shined in short track speed skating with three golds. Shen Xue and
Zhao Hongbo Zhao Hongbo (; born 22 September 1973) is a Chinese retired pair skater. With his wife Shen Xue, Zhao is the 2010 Olympic champion, the 2002 & 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, a three-time World champion (2002, 2003 & 2007), a three-time Four Co ...
finally won figure skating gold in the event of ''pair skating'' after four participations.
Wang Bingyu Wang Bingyu (; ; born October 7, 1984 in Harbin, Heilongjiang; usually referred to in the media as Bingyu "Betty" Wang) is a Chinese curler. In 2009, she became the first non Northern American or European skip to win a World Championship. Cu ...
and her team (
Yue Qingshuang Yue Qingshuang (; born October 7, 1985, in Harbin, Heilongjiang; usually referred to in the media as Qingshuang Yue) is a Chinese curler. She previously played second on the Chinese national team, skipped by Wang Bingyu. Currently as a coach, ...
, Liu Yin, Zhou Yan and
Liu Jinli Liu Jinli (; ; born March 16, 1989 in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang) is an internationally elite curler from China.http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-curling/athletes/jinli-liu_ath1015314Za.html She curls out of the club in Heilongjiang and ...
) created history by winning the first curling Olympic medal for China in the women's tournament.


2014

China won 3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze medals and ranked 12th at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in February 2014. Zhang Hong won first Chinese gold medal in speed skating.


2018

China won 1 gold, 6 silver, 2 bronze medals and ranked 16th at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018. Liu Jiayu won first ever Olympic medal in snowboarding for China.
Wu Dajing Wu Dajing (born 24 July 1994) is a Chinese short track speed skater. He is a gold medalist in the Men's 500 metres at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. He won a gold medal in the Men's 500m at the 2014 ISU World Championships in M ...
became the first Chinese male short track speed skating Olympic champion by breaking the world record at the 500-metre event.


2022

China won 9 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze medals and ranked 3rd at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China in February 2022, as the first ever home winter games. Ailing Eileen Gu became the first ever freestyle skier to win three medals at one Olympic Game, the first female Chinese gold medalist in freestyle skiing, and the most successful freestyle skier ever in Olympic freestyle skiing event (with 2 gold medals and 1 silver medals). Yan Wengang won the first ever medal in skeleton for Team China, brozne in men's single.
Xu Mengtao Xu Mengtao (; ; born 12 July 1990) is an Olympic Champion Chinese aerial skier. She has 27 World Cup victories and an Olympic Gold. She is also the current World Cup leader and became the first Chinese woman to win an Olympic gold in the Aer ...
finally won the first ever gold in women's aerial since the first silver medal won by Xu Nannan in Nagano 1998 and 5 silver medals & 2 bronze medals won by Team China in this event at former games.
Su Yiming Su Yiming (; born 18 February 2004) is a Chinese snowboarder, an Olympic champion and former child actor. By winning the 2021–22 FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air event at Steamboat Ski Resort on 4 December 2021, he became the first Chinese sno ...
became the first Chinese athlete to win a gold in Olympic snowboarding events. Gao Tingyu became the first Chinese male athlete to win a gold in Olympic speed skating events.


Medalists


Summer Olympics

Since Chinese athletes are more likely to compete in more than one event in the sport of diving,
gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...
,
table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
,
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
, and more likely to compete in several Olympic games in the sport of
shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...
, most multiple medalists listed in the following three tables come from these five sports.


Multiple medalists

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least three gold medals or five medals at the Summer Olympics.


Multiple gold medalists at a single game

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least two gold medals at a single Summer Olympics. Order first by golds, then by sports, then by year.


Multiple medalists in a single event

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least three medals in a single event at Summer Olympics. Order first by medals, then by sport, then by golds. :
2
Wang Yifu Wang Yifu (, born December 4, 1960 in Liaoyang, Liaoning) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and in terms of Olympic medals one of the most successful sport shooters of all times, and was the first shooter with six individual Olympic medals. He s ...
competed at six Olympic Games from 1984 to 2004. But ''10 m air pistol'' was introduced to the Olympics after 1988. So he competed five times in the event. He ranked 15th in 1988 and ranked top two at the next four Olympics.
:
3 Guo Jingjing competed at four Olympic Games from 1996 to 2008. She ranked 5th in the event of ''10m platform diving'' in 1996 at the age of 15. After that, due to rapid increase of height and weight, she switched to more suitable springboard diving. She competed in two ''3m springboard'' events in the next three Olympics and got six medals.
:
4 Chen Jing competed for China in 1988, and for Chinese Taipei in 1996 and 2000.
:
5 The category was 77 kg in 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and then changed to 81 kg in 2000.
:
6 The category was 57 kg in 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and then changed to 58 kg in 2000.


Most appearances

This is a list of Chinese athletes who competed in at least four Summer Olympics. Still active athletes are marked in bold. Age 15- and 40+ are marked in bold. :
6 Luan Jujie competed for China in 1984, winning China's first Olympic fencing gold. She moved to Canada in 1985 and competed for Canada in 1988, 2000, and 2008.


The youngest and oldest gold medalists


Winter Olympics


Multiple medalists

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least two gold medals or three medals at the Winter Olympics. Still active athletes are marked in bold.


Multiple gold medalists at a single game

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least two gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Order first by golds, then by sports, then by year.


Multiple medalists in a single event

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least three medals in a single event at Winter Olympics. Order first by medals, then by sport, then by golds.


Most appearances

This is a list of Chinese athletes who competed in at least four Winter Olympics. Still active athletes are marked in bold.


The youngest and oldest gold medalists


Milestones


Summer Games

*1st medal :
Xu Haifeng Xu Haifeng (; born August 1, 1957) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and he is the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. He specializes in the 50 metre pistol event. He was born in Zhangzhou ...
, Shooting, 1984 *1st gold medal :
Xu Haifeng Xu Haifeng (; born August 1, 1957) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and he is the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. He specializes in the 50 metre pistol event. He was born in Zhangzhou ...
, Shooting, 1984 *10th gold medal : Li Ning, Gymnastics, 1984 *50th gold medal :
Deng Yaping Deng Yaping (; born February 6, 1973) is a Chinese table tennis player, who won eighteen world championships including four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997. She is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. ...
, Table tennis, 1996 *100th gold medal :
Zhang Yining Zhang Yining (; born 5 October 1981) is a Chinese table tennis player who retired in 2009. She is considered one of the greatest female players in the sport's history. In terms of achievements, she is one of the most successful female table tenn ...
, Table tennis, 2004 *200th gold medal : Chen Ruolin, Diving, 2012


Winter Games

*1st medal:
Ye Qiaobo Ye Qiaobo (born June 3, 1964) is a Chinese speed skater. She was born in Changchun, Jilin. She competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 dis ...
, Speed skating, 1992 *1st gold medal :
Yang Yang (A) Yang Yang (; born 24 August 1976 in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China) is a retired Chinese short track speed skater. She is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2002 Winter Olympics and a six-time Overall World Champion for 1997–2002. Known as Yang ...
, Short track speed skating, 2002 *10th gold medal :
Li Jianrou Li Jianrou (; ; born 15 August 1986 in Jilin City, Jilin Province) is a Chinese Short track Speed skater. She won a gold medal in the 500 m event of the 2014 Winter Olympics. She is the 2012 Overall World Champion. She represented China in ...
, Short track speed skating, 2014


Flagbearer


Summer Games


Winter Games


Hosting Olympic logo and mottos


2008 Summer Olympics

The
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
marks the milestone for China, where this was the first time it hosting the Olympic Games. The country's capital, Beijing, was chosen as the host city. The motto of the Olympic Games at that time is ''One World One Dream'' (同一个世界 同一个梦想)


2014 Summer Youth Olympics

The
2014 Summer Youth Olympics The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics (), officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games , and commonly known as Nanjing 2014 ( zh, c=南京2014, p=Nánjīng Èr Líng yī sì), were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports ...
marks the second time China hosted the Olympics, but it was held in
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...
. Its motto is ''Share the Games, Share our Dreams'' (分享青春, 共筑未来)


2022 Winter Olympics

The upcoming
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Bei ...
marks the third time China hosted the Olympics, and the second time held in Beijing. The new motto of this game is ''Together for a Shared Future'' (一起向未来) . Its previous motto was ''Joyful Rendezvous Upon Pure Ice and Snow'' (纯洁的冰雪 激情的约会)


See also

* :Olympic competitors for China * List of Olympic medalists for China * China at the Asian Games *
China at the Paralympics China first competed at the Paralympic Games in 1984, at the Summer Games in New York City, United States and Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom. Since the 2004 Athens Games, China has topped the medal table with more gold medals, more silver meda ...
* Sport in China * Chinese Olympic politics * Sports and Olympic Committee of Macau, China


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:China At The Olympics