Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea, as we know it today, was formally created on 15 August 1948, after the end of World War II. But the National Olympic Committee was already established on 15 July 1946 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 20 June 1947 at the IOC session in Stockholm. Korea first officially competed at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. However, in both 1932 and 1936, during the occupation of the country by the Japanese (1910-1945), several Korean athletes competed at the Olympic Games wearing the colors of Japan. Korea has competed at all Olympics since 1948 with the exception of 1980, when it boycotted the Moscow Olympics. Korea also made its first Olympic Winter Games appearance in 1948 and has since missed only the Winter celebration of 1952.

Since 1948, Korea has done well in combative sports, winning virtually all of its medals in boxing, wrestling, judo and weightlifting. The women have also medaled in volleyball, basketball, field hockey, table tennis, and archery. Korea has won 296 medals through 2014, 107 of them gold. Fifty-three of these were won at the Olympic Winter Games, including 26 gold, as Korea dominates short-track speed skating. Korea ably hosted the Games of the XXIVth Olympiad in Seoul in 1988 and will host the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018. Archer Kim Su-Nyeong has won the most medals among Korean Olympians, with six. Two short-track speed skaters, Lee Ho-Seok and Jeon I-Gyeong, and the sportshooter Jin Jong-O have won five medals. Kim and Jeon lead Korean Olympians with four gold medals.

In 1995 the Olympic Committee of South Korea was awarded with the Olympic Cup.