United States at the Olympics

The United States of America has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Olympic Games with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee for the United States.

The United States have been the host nation for the modern Olympics on eight occasions. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, upping the tally to nine.

American athletes have won a total of 2,765 medals (1,105 of them gold) at the Summer Olympic Games, and another 363 (126 of them gold) at the Winter Olympic Games, making the United States the most prolific medal-winning nation in the history of the Olympics. The U.S. has placed first in the Summer Olympic medal table 19 times out of 30 Summer Olympics and 29 appearances (having boycotted in 1980), but has had less success in the Winter Olympics, placing first once in 24 participations.

The United States Olympic contingent is the only Olympic contingent in the world to receive no government funding; neither training and development costs nor prize money are provided by the U.S. national government.

Hosted Games

The United States has hosted the modern Olympic Games eight times, more than any other country. These events took place from the 1904 St. Louis Olympics up to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. The U.S. has helped shape the Olympics through its achievements, new ideas for sports facilities, and cultural impact. Even when not hosting, the U.S. has supported the Olympics through groups like the United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

In the future, Los Angeles will host the Olympics again in 2028, marking the ninth time the U.S. will have been an Olympic host. Hosting the Games often leaves lasting benefits for cities, such as better facilities and increased visitors.

Medal tables

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

The United States first joined the Olympics in 1896 in Athens, the very first modern games. The U.S. had its best performance in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri, winning more medals than ever before—a record that still stands. During the 1920s and 1930s, the U.S. did very well in the Summer Olympics, winning the most medals for several Games in a row. After World War II, other countries like the Soviet Union became strong competitors. The U.S. did not lead the medal count again until 1996, after the Soviet Union collapsed. A highlight was the 1984 games in Los Angeles, where the U.S. won a record 83 gold medals.

The U.S. wasn’t a top country in the Winter Olympics until the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Since then, U.S. athletes have always placed in the top four. The best year was the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the U.S. won 37 medals.

The United States has never won Olympic medals in some sports like badminton, handball, and table tennis. In winter sports, the only one the U.S. hasn’t won a medal in is biathlon.

Flagbearers

See also: List of flag bearers for the United States at the Olympics

The United States has had many athletes carry their flag at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. These special moments show the pride and honor of each athlete representing their country on the world's biggest stage.

History

For the early history, see History of the United States at the Olympics.

U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympics since 1992, improving their performance in many sports. They have finished second in the medal count in some years and first in many others.

At the 2016 Summer Games, athlete Kim Rhode became the only female Olympian to win a medal in six straight Games. In the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunisa Lee won the gymnastics all-around gold medal, making history as the first Hmong American and first gymnast of Asian descent to achieve this. Lydia Jacoby won gold in swimming, and Ryan Crouser set new Olympic records in the shot put. The U.S. led in the overall medal count with 113 medals.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, the U.S. did not send officials in a diplomatic boycott but allowed athletes to compete. The team won 25 medals, including notable victories by Jessie Diggins in cross-country skiing, Nathan Chen in figure skating, Erin Jackson in speed skating, and Chloe Kim in snowboarding.

Amateurism and professionalism

The idea of only allowing amateur athletes in the Olympics caused some problems. For example, Jim Thorpe, who won two gold medals in the 1912 Olympic games, lost his medals when it was found out he had played baseball for money before the Olympics. Later, in 1983, his medals were given back to his family.

As time went on, some countries started paying their athletes to train full-time, which made it hard for athletes who had to pay their own way. This change led to the Olympics allowing professional athletes to compete, which happened in the 1990s after big changes in how the games were organized.

Main article: Amateurism

Prize money

When a U.S. athlete wins an Olympic medal, they receive money from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). As of 2016, the USOPC gave $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. In 2017, these amounts increased to $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. Since 2018, Paralympic athletes receive the same payments as Olympians.

In 2025, the USOPC received a historic $100 million donation to support future Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Starting with the 2026 Milan Games, each athlete will receive $200,000 per Olympic appearance. This money helps athletes manage financial challenges they face due to intense training schedules. The donation aims to provide long-term financial security for athletes after their careers end. Many U.S. athletes struggle financially because the U.S. government does not fund the Olympic program, unlike in many other countries. Instead, U.S. athletes rely on sponsorships, media deals, and fundraising for support.

Main article: International Paralympic Committee
Main articles: asset management, alternative investments, assets under management

Doping

The United States has had eight Olympic medals taken away because of rule-breaking related to special substances. These decisions were made by the Olympic leaders, not the United States government or Olympic team leaders.

One famous case was swimmer Rick DeMont, who won a gold medal in 1972 but lost it because a test showed a special substance in his medicine. He had told leaders about his medicine ahead of time.

Later, papers showed that some American athletes failed tests for special substances between 1988 and 2000 but were still allowed to compete. This caused questions about fairness. For example, runner Carl Lewis said he accidentally took something that had banned substances in it.

Disqualified medalists

Main article: List of stripped Olympic medals

The United States has had eight Olympic medals taken away. Here are the athletes and events affected:

• 1972 Summer Olympics, Rick DeMont – first place, gold medalist, Swimming, Men's 400 m freestyle
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – first place, gold medalist, Athletics, Women's 100 m
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – first place, gold medalist, Athletics, Women's 200 m
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones – third place, bronze medalist, Athletics, Women's long jump
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Relay team (Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young) – first place, gold medalists, Athletics, Men's 4 × 400 m relay
• 2000 Summer Olympics, Lance Armstrong – third place, bronze medalist, Cycling, Men's road time trial
• 2004 Summer Olympics, Tyler Hamilton – first place, gold medalist, Cycling, Men's road time trial
• 2012 Summer Olympics, Relay team (Tyson Gay) – second place, silver medalist, Athletics, Men's 4 × 100 m relay