Olympedia – Portugal (POR)

The National Olympic Committee of Portugal was formed on 28 October 1909. Portugal has competed at the Olympic Games continuously since 1912. It has attended the Olympic Winter Games less frequently, attending in 1952, 1994, 2006 and 2010 with a sole competitor, with two in 1998, 2014, and 2018, with three in 2022, and with five in 1988. Through 2022, Portugal has won 28 Olympic medals (5 golds), all at the Summer Games.

In the past, Portuguese athletes have particularly excelled in the marathon, and two of the nation’s five Olympic titles were won in that event. These were won by Carlos Lopes in the 1984 men’s marathon at age 37, with Rosa Mota winning the 1988 women’s marathon. Two of the other five Olympic gold medals came in the triple jump, with Nelson Évora winning at Beijing 2008 and Cuban-born Pedro Pablo Pichardo taking the first place at Tokyo 2020. Three Portuguese athletes have won two medals: Lopes, Mota and Fernanda Ribeiro (the latter with one gold and one bronze in the women’s 10,000 metres, in 1996 and 2000, respectively).

Portugal has not yet won a medal at the Winter Olympics. Their best result probably occurred in 1994, when Alpine skier Georges Mendes finished 32nd out of 61 competitors, in the giant slalom event.