Turkey (TUR)

Turkey was first represented at the Intercalated Olympic Games of 1906 when an Armenian student, Vahran Papazyan, at Robert College in Constantinople (now İstanbul 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 considered a 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 91 Olympic medals, with 39 golds. Turkish wrestlers account for an outstanding 63 of these, with 29 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 bid to host the Olympic Games four times, with İstanbul unsuccessfully bidding for the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2020 Olympics.

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