Russian Federation (RUS)

Prior to the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia competed at the Olympics of 1900, 1908, and 1912. Although at the first two celebrations its representation was only four and six athletes, respectively, in 1912 it sent a large team of 169 athletes. At those Olympics, Russia won one gold medal, four silver medals, and three bronze medals. After the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia became the largest republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). The Soviet Union did not compete in the Olympics from 1920 to 1948, but returned to the Olympic Games at Helsinki in 1952, and competed in the Olympics through 1988. Russia was the most successful Soviet republic in terms of medals won.

With the political events of 1991, Russia again became eligible to compete as an individual nation. At Albertville and Barcelona Russia joined with other former Soviet republics to compete as the Unified Team / Équipe Unifié, representing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Soviet Union’s Larisa Latynina was their top Olympic athlete, with 18 medals won, a record until broken by Michael Phelps in 2012. Russian gymnast Nikolay Andrianov was the top male Soviet athlete, winning 15 medals (seven gold, five silver, and three bronze) between 1972 and 1980. Russian speedskater Lidiya Skoblikova was the top Soviet Winter Games competitor, winning six gold medals in 1960 and 1964. She is also the second most successful Russian female Winter Games competitor, next to Russian cross-country skier Lyubov Yegorova, who won six gold and three silver in 1992, while representing the Unified Team (3-2-0), and in 1994.

Russia returned to the Olympic fold after an absence of 82 years at Lillehammer 1994, and was present with a large contingent ever since, until 2017. In December of that year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the nation was banned from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, after an investigation that revealed that Russia had been running and endorsing a doping program. However, their athletes were allowed to compete as neutrals as Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Russian athletes competed under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag and designation during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the same happened at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

In total, Russian athletes have now won 553 medals at the Olympics, with 195 gold. Of these medals, 432 came at the Summer Olympics (148 gold) and 121 at the Olympic Winter Games (47 gold). The best Russian performers have been synchronized swimmers Anastasiya Davydova, Nataliya Ishchenko, and Svetlana Romashina, with five gold medals each. At Tokyo 2020, Romashina won two more gold medals, then representing ROC. Gymnast Aleksey Nemov has won the most medals overall, with 12 (including four golds). He is followed by gymnasts Svetlana Khorkina and Aliya Mustafina, and diver Dmitry Sautin, with seven medals each.

As part of the Soviet Union Russia hosted the Games of the XXIInd Olympiad in Moscow in 1980 and in 2014 Russia hosted the 22nd Olympic Winter Games held in Sochi.