Ethiopia (ETH)

Overview

NOCEthiopian Olympic Committee
Flagbearers37

Participants

Olympic Games 264
Youth Olympic Games 32

Description

In October 1948, the National Sports Confederation of Ethiopia (CNSE) was formed. This organisation proposed a motion for recognition to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 9 December 1953, which was granted on 15 May 1954, at the IOC Session in Athens. An independent Ethiopian Olympic Committee was created on 25 June 1968. Ethiopia made its first Olympic appearance in 1956. It has since missed the 1976, 1984, and 1988 Olympics, all due to political boycotts, making Ethiopia one of only three nations – with Egypt and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North) – to have boycotted three Olympic Games. Through 2022, Ethiopia has won 58 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold, all in track & field athletics.

Its top athletes have been distance runners, led by their great marathoner Abebe Bikila, Olympic marathon champion in 1960 and 1964, usually considered one of the two greatest marathoners ever (with Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya).

Tirunesh Dibaba leads the Ethiopian medal list with three golds and three bronze on the women’s side from 2004 to 2016, followed by Kenenisa Bekele with two golds and one silver, both in distance-running events.

Ethiopia did compete at the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Winter Games, both times represented solely by cross-country skier Robel Teklemariam. His best performance came in his first appearance, finishing 83rd of 99 competitors in the 15 kilometres event.

Participations by edition

Olympic Games

Edition As Men Women Total
1956 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 12 0 12 Results
1960 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 10 0 10 Results
1964 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 12 0 12 Results
1968 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 18 0 18 Results
1972 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 31 0 31 Results
1980 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 39 2 41 Results
1992 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 14 6 20 Results
1996 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 10 8 18 Results
2000 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 15 11 26 Results
2004 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 14 12 26 Results
2006 Winter Olympics Ethiopia 1 0 1 Results
2008 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 14 13 27 Results
2010 Winter Olympics Ethiopia 1 0 1 Results
2012 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 18 15 33 Results
2016 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 17 20 37 Results
2020 Summer Olympics Ethiopia 17 19 36 Results

Youth Olympic Games

Edition As Men Women Total
2010 Summer Youth Olympics Ethiopia 4 3 7 Results
2014 Summer Youth Olympics Ethiopia 8 6 14 Results
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Ethiopia 4 7 11 Results

Participations by discipline

Olympic Games

Discipline (Sport) Men Women Total
Athletics 134 69 203 Results
Boxing 24 0 24 Results
Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) 1 0 1 Results
Cycling Road (Cycling) 29 1 30 Results
Swimming (Aquatics) 3 2 5 Results
Taekwondo 1 0 1 Results

Youth Olympic Games

Discipline (Sport) Men Women Total
Athletics 15 13 28 Results
Cycling Road (Cycling) 0 2 2 Results
Swimming (Aquatics) 1 1 2 Results

Medals by Games

Edition Competition Type Gold Silver Bronze Total
2008 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 4 2 1 7
2000 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 4 1 3 8
2014 Summer Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games 3 3 2 8
2012 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 3 2 3 8
2004 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 2 3 2 7
2010 Summer Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games 2 3 0 5
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games 2 2 4 8
1980 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 2 0 2 4
1996 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 2 0 1 3
2016 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 2 5 8
2020 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 1 2 4
1968 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 1 0 2
1992 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 0 2 3
1960 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 0 0 1
1964 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 0 0 1
1972 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 0 2 2

Medals by sport

Olympic Games

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics 23 12 23 58

Youth Olympic Games

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics 7 8 6 21

Most successful competitors

Includes medals won as part of mixed teams.

Olympic Games

Athlete Nat Gold Silver Bronze Total
Kenenisa Bekele ETH 3 1 0 4
Tirunesh Dibaba ETH 3 0 3 6
Meseret Defar ETH 2 1 0 3
Derartu Tulu ETH 2 0 1 3
Miruts Yifter ETH 2 0 1 3
Abebe Bikila ETH 2 0 0 2
Haile Gebrselassie ETH 2 0 0 2
Mamo Wolde ETH 1 1 1 3
Almaz Ayana ETH 1 0 1 2
Fatuma Roba ETH 1 0 0 1
Gezahegne Abera ETH 1 0 0 1
Million Wolde ETH 1 0 0 1
Tiki Gelana ETH 1 0 0 1
Selemon Barega ETH 1 0 0 1

Youth Olympic Games

Athlete Nat Gold Silver Bronze Total
Wogene Sebisibe Sidamo ETH 1 0 1 2
Mohammed Aman ETH 1 0 0 1
Tizita Bogale ETH 1 0 0 1
Kokeb Tesfaye ETH 1 0 0 1
Yomif Kejelcha ETH 1 0 0 1
Tasew Yada ETH 1 0 0 1
Abrham Sime ETH 1 0 0 1
Tsehynesh Tsenga ETH 0 1 0 1
Habtamu Jaleta ETH 0 1 0 1
Fekru Jebesa ETH 0 1 0 1
Hawi Alemu Negeri ETH 0 1 0 1
Zewdinesh Mamo Teklemaream ETH 0 1 0 1
Mulugeta Asefa Uma ETH 0 1 0 1
Berihu Aregawi ETH 0 1 0 1
Mekides Abebe ETH 0 1 0 1

IOC Members

Yidnekechew Tessema 1971—1987
Dagmawit Girmay Berhane 2010—2013
Dagmawit Girmay Berhane 2013—