Topend Sports Logo

Canada at the Olympics

Canada has been in almost all of the Summer Games since they first were represented in the 1900 Summer Games in Paris, France. Ronald MacDonald represented Canada in the marathon while George Orton ran the hurdles and steeplechase.

George Orton, who came with the US delegation to the Games, made history by being the first to bring home an Olympic medal to Canada. Orton won not one, but two Olympic medals. He took the bronze for the men's 400 meter hurdles and the gold in the men's 2500 meter steeplechase.



The 1900 Summer Games also set a trend for Canada as one of the consistent medal winners because from their very first outing, Canadian athletes have won Olympic medals except in 1980 when Canada participated in the US-led boycott of the Moscow Games. Canada has also won gold medals in every Summer Games except in 1924, 1948 and 1972. Canada has indeed established itself as one of the perennial powerhouse of the Summer Games.

The story is not that much different for the Winter Games. Canada has been a part of the Winter Games since 1924. As a matter of fact, they have never been absent from the Winter Games since their debut. In 1924, the Canadian ice hockey team took the top spot in Chamonix, France establishing a strong precedence for Canada.

As with the Summer Games, Canada is also one of the top countries in the Winter Games winning Olympic medals in every outing and in 2010, Canada put up their best performance yet in the Winter Games. They not only hosted the Games but they also dominated the scoreboard earning the highest gold medal count of all of the participating countries. It was also their highest medal count in any Winter Games since their debut with a total of 26 medals, 14 of which are gold.

Trivia



Related Pages

send us a comment Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.

Olympics Extra

The next Olympics will be in Paris 2024, followed by the Winter edition in Milan-Cortina 2026. Check out the list of Olympic Games sports, as well as discontinued and demonstration sports.

Major Events Extra

The largest sporting event in the world is the Olympic Games, but there are many other multi-sport games. In terms of single sport events, nothing beats the FIFA World Cup. To see what's coming up, check out the calendar of major sporting events.

 → How to Cite