Cuba (CUB)

In 1900, the fencer Ramón Fonst competed at the Olympic Games and actually won the first gold medal for the Caribbean country in the men’s épée. Fonst also competed in the 1904 Olympics along with a few other Cuban athletes. In 1924, Cuba was represented by nine competitors, while in 1928, the country had one competitor. In 1948, Cuba sent a full team to the London Olympic Games and its participation was continuous until it elected to boycott the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In support of the North Korean government, Cuba also elected not to compete in 1988 in Seoul. Cuba returned to the Olympics in 1992. Cuban athletes have not yet competed in the Olympic Winter Games.

Cuba has been successful in several sports, winning 220 Olympic medals (77 gold) through 2016, but by far its greatest success has come in boxing. Since the mid-1970s, Cuba has probably had the best amateur boxers in the world. Cuba has also been the dominant nation internationally in baseball and won the gold medal in 1992, 1996, and 2004, with silvers in 2000 and 2008. Among Cuban athletes, Ramón Fonst has won the most medals, with five, including four gold medals, but the best known Cuban Olympians have been two boxers, Félix Savón and Teófilo Stevenson, who both won three gold medals consecutively.