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Puerto Rico at the Olympics

Puerto Rico first took part in the Summer Olympic Games in 1948, and has sent a delegation from then on. Although it is a territory of the United States, Puerto Rico did not fully join in the American-spearheaded boycott of the 1980 Russia Summer Olympics, sending three boxers to the Moscow Olympics.



Puerto Rico has had most success in the sport of boxing.

The Puerto Ricans captured the bronze medal in the men’s baseball competition at the 1988 Seoul, Olympics, but that medal was not counted since the ballgame was just a demonstration sport at that time.

Puerto Rico won its first-ever gold medal at the Games thanks to tennis player Monica Puig who captured the women’s singles event in the tennis competition in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Other notable Puerto Rican Olympians are silver medalists Luis Ortiz in boxing (1984) and Jaime Espinalin in wrestling (2012).

Puerto Rico has also taken part in the Winter Olympic Games ever since 1984, but didn’t send athletes to the Games from 2006, 2010, to 2014.

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