Spain at the Olympics
Spain first competed at the Olympic Games in 1900, then not again until 1920. They attended all Olympic Games since 1920, except for a boycott of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany. Spain also boycotted the 1956 Games in Melbourne because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary, though they participated in the equestrian events of the 1956 Games held in Stockholm earlier that year in June.
Spain has hosted the Olympic Games once, in 1992 when Barcelona was the host city, which happens to be the home city of Juan Antonio Samaranch who was once president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The nation delivered its best performance at the games by churning in an impressive medal haul of 13 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze medals to finished sixth overall.
Sailing is Spain’s number one source of its gold medals followed by canoeing and cycling.
Spain also performed remarkably well in the 2016 Ro Summer Olympics as it captured 17 medals (7 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze) to finish 14th overall. The nation’s flag bearer and former number one ranked tennis player in the world, Rafael Nadal, led the charge for the mighty Spanish team by partnering with Marc López to collar the gold medal in the men’s doubles event.
Trivia
- Spain won their first gold medal at the Olympics in 1900. José de Amézola y Aspizúa and Francisco Villota won Basque pelota. There were only two teams competing, Spain beat France in the one match played.
- Spanish shooter Pedro Pidal y Bernardo de Quirós (Marquis of Villaviciosa) came second in live pigeon shooting, though this event is not recognized by IOC as an official event.
- In 1992, Spain's coxswain in the eights, 11-year-old Carlos Front, was the youngest competitor in the Olympic Games since 1900.
Related Pages
- Spain at the Winter Olympics
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games
- About Sport in Spain
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