Barbados (BAR)

The National Olympic Committee of Barbados was formed in 1955 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 17 June of the same year at the IOC session in Paris, but, as an independent country, Barbados did not compete in the Olympics until 1968. However, in 1960 Barbados competed as part of the West Indies Federation. One of the Barbadan runners, Jim Wedderburn, ran with three Jamaicans as a member of the 4×400 metres relay team and helped win a bronze medal. After the federation was dissolved in 1962, the Barbados Olympic Association was granted recognition by the IOC again on 5 June 1962 at the IOC session in Moskva. After missing the 1964 Olympics, Barbados has since competed at every Olympic Games except for 1980. Barbados has not yet competed at the Olympic Winter Games. In 2000, Obadele Thompson won a bronze medal for Barbados in the 100 metres sprint, the first medal won by Barbados at the Olympics.