Cyprus at the Olympics
Cyprus is an island country located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea near Türkiye. Their national Olympic committee was established in 1974 and was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1978. Since the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not recognized by major international sporting bodies, athletes from Northern Cyprus have to compete under the flag of the Republic of Cyprus, Türkiye or some other country or not at all.
Cyprus shooter Andreou at the World CupIn 1980, Cyprus made its debut in both the Summer and Winter Games. Since their debut in 1980, Cyprus has never missed a single Olympic meet, either Summer or Winter Games. They came very close in winning their very first Olympic medal in 2008 when shooter Antonis Nikolaidis narrowly lost the bronze medal in a shoot-off for the men's skeet. Cyprus had to wait four more years before winning their first-ever Olympic honor.
In the 2012 London Summer Games, sailor Pavlos Kontides won the silver medal for men's laser sailing. The first Cypriot-born modern Olympian in was Anastasios Andreou who was then part of the Greek delegation in the Inaugural Summer Olympic Games 1896.
Despite a perfect attendance record in the Winter Games since their debut in Lake Placid, USA (1980), Cyprus is yet to win a medal in any Winter Games event.
Trivia
- The first modern Olympian from Cyprus was actually Anastasios Andreou. He competed in the 110m hurdles for Greece in 1896. At this time, Cyprus was a British colony.
Related Pages
- Cyprus at the Winter Olympics
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- About sport in Cypress
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