1996 Summer Olympics medal table

1996 Summer Olympics medals
American swimmer Amy Van Dyken, shown from about the chest while smiling.
American swimmer Amy Van Dyken won four gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the most of any competing athlete.
LocationAtlanta,  United States
Highlights
Most gold medals United States (44)
Most total medals United States (101)
Medalling NOCs79
← 1992 · Olympics medal tables · 2000 →
Olympic rings
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1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, were a summer multi-sport event held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States from July 19 to August 4, 1996.[1] A total of 10,318 athletes representing 197 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated.[2] The games featured 271 events in 26 sports across 37 disciplines, including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball, mountain biking and softball.[3][4][5] A total of 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debuts in Atlanta, including 11 former Soviet republics participating for the first time as independent nations.[6]

79 nations received at least one medal, with 53 of them winning at least one gold medal, both of which were new records.[7][8] Armenia,[9] Belarus,[10] Burundi,[11] Costa Rica,[12] Croatia,[13] Czech Republic,[14] Ecuador,[15] Hong Kong,[16] Kazakhstan,[17] Nigeria,[18] Slovakia,[19] Syria,[20] Thailand,[21] and Ukraine won their nations' first Summer Olympic gold medals.[22] They were also the first Olympic medals of any kind for Armenia,[23] Belarus,[24] Burundi,[11] Czech Republic,[14] Ecuador,[25] Hong Kong,[26] Kazakhstan,[27] Slovakia,[19] and Ukraine.[22] Meanwhile, Azerbaijan,[28] Georgia,[29] Moldova,[30] Mozambique,[31] Tonga,[32] and Uzbekistan won their first Summer Olympic medals.[33]

Athletes from the host nation of the United States won the most gold medals, with 44, and the most medals overall, with 101.[34] It marked the first time the United States led the medal count in both gold and overall medals since 1984 and the first at a non-boycotted Olympics since 1968.[4][35] Among individual participants, American swimmer Amy Van Dyken won the most gold medals with four, while Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov won the most medals overall with six (two gold, one silver, and three bronze).[36]

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  8. ^ Frey, Jennifer (August 5, 1996). "A Curtain Call in Atlanta". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Araton, Harvey (July 24, 1996). "Atlanta: Day 5 – Wrestling; Ghaffari Quest for Gold Is Crushed by a Russian". The New York Times. sec. B, p. 9. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "Ekaterina Karsten (Khodotovich)". Belarus Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Burundi – Ethnicity, Music, Dance". Encyclopædia Britannica. August 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Longman, Jere (July 22, 1996). "Atlanta: Day 3 – Swimming;U.S. Earns First Gold, In the Pool". The New York Times. sec. A, p. 1. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Clarey, Christopher (August 5, 1996). "Croatia Wins the Gold in Team Handball". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Czechia's Olympic History". Prague Monitor. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Perez' world victory and best is born out of a living culture". World Athletics. August 23, 2003. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "Lai Shan Lee". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Nakispekova, Aiman (July 13, 2024). "Kazakh Athletes Saw Triumphs and Trials Through Olympic History". The Astana Times. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  18. ^ Alaka, Jide (July 20, 2021). "History of Nigeria at the Olympic Games since 1952". Premium Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Lodge, Phil (July 31, 1996). "Slovaks nab gold and bronze in Summer Games debut". The Slovak Spectator. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "Ghada Shouaa". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Hincks, Joseph (March 1, 2013). "Years After His Heyday, Thailand's Favorite Son Returns to Home Ring". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "The history of the NOC of Ukraine". National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  23. ^ "Paulson Finds There Is a Silver Lining". Los Angeles Times. July 24, 1996. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  24. ^ "Medals won by Belarusian athletes". Belarus Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  25. ^ Minshull, Phil (August 15, 2023). "Perez the Pinnacle of 100 Years of Ecuadorian Athletics". World Athletics. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "Medallists". Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  27. ^ Bizhanova, Diana (July 26, 2024). "Kazakhstan: record of Olympic success". Kazinform. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  28. ^ "XXVI Summer Olympic Games". National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  29. ^ "Georgia". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  30. ^ "Nicolae Juravschi". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  31. ^ "Mozambique (MOZ)". Olympedia. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  32. ^ "Paea Wolfgram". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  33. ^ Pickering, Mark (October 6, 2016). "Tashkent Grand Prix 2016, Uzbekistan – Day One". International Judo Federation. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference Medal table was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ Brennan, Christine (August 4, 1996). "U.S. Women Look Good in Gold". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  36. ^ "1996 Atlanta Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2024.