Turkey

Turkey was first represented at the Olympic Games of 1906 when an Armenian student, Vahran Papazyan, at Robert College in Constantinople (now Istanbul) competed in the 800 and 1,500 metre track events. Also Zareck Couyoumdzian, a member of the Smyrna football team, was Armenian and can be counted as Turkish participant. Several Greek competitors living in cities that belonged to the Ottoman Empire (as Turkey was then known), also competed in these Games, but these can hardly be considered Turkish. It is often claimed that during a visit to Turkey in 1907, Pierre de Coubertin invited his guide, Aleko Mulos Bey, to take part in the gymnastic events at the 1908 Olympics, and for many years we felt that there was little evidence that Mulos actually competed. However, we have recently found the complete results of 1908 individual gymnastics and Mulos Bey definitely did compete, making him he first ethnic Turk at the Olympic Games.

There again were two Turkish entrants at the 1912 Olympics (again both ethnic Armenians) and Turkey sent its first serious team in 1924 when they entered a 31-man squad to the Paris Olympics. Since then it has missed only the Games of 1932 and 1980. Turkey first competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 1936 and has since missed only the Winter Games of 1952, 1972, and 1980. Turkey has won 87 Olympic medals. Turkish wrestlers account for an outstanding 58 of these, with 28 wrestling gold medals. Its most notable competitors, however, have been weightlifters: both Halil Mutlu and Naim Süleymanoğlu won three gold medals in that sport. Turkey has attempted to organize the Olympics four times, with Istanbul unsuccessfully bidding for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. For the 2020 Olympic Games, Istanbul has bid again, and is among the three finalists.

In 1972 the Olympic Committee of Turkey was awarded with the Olympic Cup.