Austria

Austria competed at the first Olympics in 1896 and has missed only one Games since – those of 1920 when it was not invited as an aggressor nation in World War I. Austria has also competed at every Olympic Winter Games, where it has often been the dominant nation in alpine skiing. It is one of only three countries (with Norway and Liechtenstein) to have won more medals at the Winter Olympics than at the Olympic Games. Through 2016, Austrian athletes have won 218 medals (59 gold medals) at the Olympic Winter Games and 107 medals (25 gold medals) at the Summer Olympics. Austria has also twice hosted the Olympic Winter Games, those of 1964 and 1976, both times in Innsbruck.

Felix Gottwald has won the most medals of any Austrian, with seven in Nordic combined skiing – three gold, one silver, and three bronze. And he is one of only three Austrians who have won three gold medals, the others are Toni Sailer and Thomas Morgenstern, all for the Winter Games. At the Olympic Summer Games only two Austrians have been able to win two gold medals at the same Games, Julius Lenhart in 1904 and Gregor Hradetzky in 1936. And only three Austrians have won gold medals in two different Olympic Summer Games with Peter Seisenbacher been the first winning in 1984 and 1988 followed by Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher who won together at the 2000 and 2004 Games.

Several forerunners of the Austrian Olympic Committee have been established. For the first Olympic Games in 1896 (Comité für die Olympischen Spiele in Athen für Österreich), 1900 (Wiener Comité zur Beschickung der Pariser Olympischen Spiele 1900), and 1906 (Allgemeiner Sportausschuss für Österreich) only part-time executive organisations have been founded. For the 1904 Games no committee was created. On 24 February 1908 a meeting by representatives of numerous sports was held and on 16 March 1908 the Zentrales Sportkomitee was founded as first Olympic committee of Austria. But also this organisation did not last long and on 23 February 1911 the Österreichischer Zentralverband für gemeinsame Sportinteressen was founded. This organisation was renamed on 23 January 1920 to Österreichischer Hauptverband für Körpersport and since 26 March 1926 Olympisches Komitee für Österreich was added to the name. Finally on 19 June 1935 the name was changed to Österreichisches Olympisches Comité. The Austrian Olympic committee was merged into the German Olympic committee in 1938 after the Anschluss and was recreated on 11 December 1946.