Spain (ESP)

In 1900, Spain was represented by nine athletes at the Paris Olympics. A Spanish National Olympic Committee was formed in 1905. Spain next appeared on the Olympic stage in 1920, and has since missed only the 1936 Berlin Olympics, when the nation was involved in a civil war. In addition, Spain boycotted Melbourne 1956 because of the Hungarian Revolt, although Spanish riders did compete in the Olympic Equestrian Games at Stockholm in 1956. Spain has won 170 Olympic medals, 49 of them gold, with five medals and one gold having been won at the Olympic Winter Games.

Six Spanish competitors have won two Olympic gold medals. Of these six, two lead the table: track cyclist Joan Llaneras and canoeist Saúl Craviotto, both also winning two silver medals. Craviotto has a total of five medals, just as canoeist David Cal (the latter with one gold and four silver between 2004 and 2012).

Spain’s first winter appearance was at Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 and it has never failed to compete in the Olympic Winter Games since. Its initial two Winter medals were won by the Fernández Ochoa family, with Francisco winning the men’s slalom in 1972, and his sister Blanca winning a bronze medal in the 1992 women’s slalom. Spain added two bronze medals at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games: one in men’s figure skating, by Javier Fernández, and the other by Regino Hernández, in men’s boardercross snowboarding. At Beijing 2022, Spain won its first silver medal at the Winter Olympics, by snowboarder Queralt Castellet in the halfpipe event.

In 1992, Barcelona hosted the Games of the XXVth Olympiad. These Olympics proved a huge boost for Spanish Olympic performances. Prior to these Olympics, Spain had won 26 medals (five gold) in Summer Games, but it won 22 medals (and 13 gold) in Barcelona, and many more in subsequent Games. Madrid was also among the three finalists to host the 2020 Olympic Games. In 1965, the Olympic Committee of Spain was awarded with the Count Alberto Bonacossa Trophy.