Uruguay (URU)

The National Olympic Committee of Uruguay was formed on 27 October 1923 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the same year. Uruguay first competed at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris and has competed at every Games since, with the exception of the 1980 Moskva Olympics. It had only two competitors in 1932, but one did quite well: Douglas Guillermo won a bronze medal in the single sculls rowing.

Uruguay has won 10 Olympic medals to date. Two of these were gold, the outstanding victories by the Uruguayan football (soccer) teams in 1924 and 1928. Eight of the footballers were part of both winning teams, and several later played on the inaugural FIFA World Cup champions in 1930. Five other Uruguayan athletes have also won two medals, all of them bronze: four basketballers from the 1952-1956 men’s team, and rower Juan Rodríguez.

Uruguay competed at the Olympic Winter Games only once, in 1998, when it was represented by one Alpine skier. Gabriel Hottegindre appeared in one event, the men’s slalom, in which he finished 24th.