Latvia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1924. After the nation was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, Latvian athletes competed for the USSR between 1948 and 1988. After the independence of Latvia and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the nation returned to the Olympic Games in 1992 and has competed at every Games since then.
Latvian athletes have won a total of 21 medals at the Summer Olympic Games and 12 medals at the Winter Olympic Games. They have won a remarkably high proportion of silver medals, with 5 gold medals. These totals do not include medals won by Latvian athletes while competing for the Soviet Union.
The National Olympic Committee for Latvia was first created in 1922. The current NOC is the Latvian Olympic Committee, which was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1991.
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games GamesAthletesGoldSilverBronzeTotalRank 1900–1912 as part of the did not participate 36 0 0 0 0 – 17 0 0 0 0 – 4 0 1 0 1 22 17 0 1 1 2 24 1948–1988 occupied by the 31 0 2 1 3 40 47 0 1 0 1 61 45 1 1 1 3 44 31 0 4 0 4 58 50 1 1 1 3 45 46 1 0 1 2 49 34 0 0 0 0 – 33 1 0 1 2 59 29 0 0 0 0 – future event Total 4 11 6 21 73
Medals by Winter Games GamesAthletesGoldSilverBronzeTotalRank 2 0 0 0 0 – 1 0 0 0 0 – did not participate 26 0 0 0 0 – 1948–1988 occupied by the 23 0 0 0 0 – 27 0 0 0 0 – 29 0 0 0 0 – 47 0 0 0 0 – 57 0 0 1 1 26 58 0 2 0 2 23 58 1 1 3 5 19 34 0 0 1 1 25 60 0 0 1 1 27 67 0 1 1 2 24 future event Total 1 4 7 12 38
Medals by summer sport
Medals by winter sport
Other Latvian sports shooter Haralds Blaus won bronze in the 1912 Olympics as a member of the Russian Empire team.
List of medalists Summer Olympics Medal Name Games Sport Event Athletics Men's 50 km walk Wrestling Men's Greco-Roman light heavyweight Athletics Men's 50 km walk Canoeing Men's C-1 1000 metres Shooting Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol Cycling (Road) Men's individual race Canoeing Men's C-1 1000 metres Gymnastics Men's floor exercises Athletics Men's 50 km walk Judo Men's lightweight Athletics Men's javelin throw Gymnastics Men's vault Modern pentathlon Women's individual Weightlifting Men's super heavyweight Cycling (BMX) Men's BMX Athletics Men's javelin throw Weightlifting Men's super heavyweight Cycling (BMX) Men's BMX Beach volleyball Men's tournament 3x3 basketball Men's 3x3 basketball Weightlifting Men's heavyweight
Winter Olympics Medal Name Games Sport Event Luge Men's singles Luge Doubles Skeleton Men's Bobsleigh Four-man Skeleton Men's Luge Doubles Luge Team relay Bobsleigh Two-man Bobsleigh Two–man Luge Team relay Luge Women's singles Short-track speed skating Men's 1500 metres
List of gold medal winners No. Name Sport Year Under the Soviet Union1 Inese Jaunzeme Javelin throw 19562 Elvīra Ozoliņa Javelin throw 19603 Ivans Bugajenkovs Volleyball 19644 Staņislavs Lugailo Volleyball 19645 Ivans Bugajenkovs Volleyball 19686 Oļegs Antropovs Volleyball 19687 Jānis Lūsis Javelin throw 19688 Tatjana Veinberga Volleyball 19689 Uļjana Semjonova Basketball 197610 Tamāra Dauniene Basketball 197611 Vera Zozuļa Luge 198012 Uļjana Semjonova Basketball 198013 Dainis Kūla Javelin throw 198014 Pāvels Seļivanovs Volleyball 198015 Aleksandrs Muzičenko Sailing 198016 Jānis Ķipurs Bobsleigh 198817 Vitālijs Samoilovs Ice hockey 198818 Afanasijs Kuzmins Shooting 198819 Ivans Klementjevs Canoeing 198820 Natālija Laščonova Gymnastics 198821 Igors Miglinieks Basketball 1988 Independent Latvia22 Igors Vihrovs Gymnastics 200023 Māris Štrombergs BMX 200824 Māris Štrombergs BMX 201225-28 Daumants Dreiškens Oskars Melbārdis Jānis Strenga Arvis Vilkaste BobsleighFour-man 201429-32 Agnis Čavars Edgars Krūmiņš Kārlis Lasmanis Nauris Miezis 3x3 basketball 2020
Notes At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Haralds Silovs became the first athlete in Olympic history to participate in both short track (1500m) and long track (5000m) speed skating, and the first to compete in two different disciplines on the same day.CTV Olympics, "Latvian skater makes Olympic history", Agence France-Presse, 14 February 2010 . Retrieved 18 February 2010.New York Times, "Crosstown Ride to a Speedskating First", Associated Press, 30 January 2010 . Retrieved 18 February 2010.
See also List of flag bearers for Latvia at the Olympics :Category:Olympic competitors for Latvia Latvia at the Paralympics
References
External links
Video: Latvia's return to Olympic competition after lengthy Soviet occupation. February 12, 2020. Atslēgas. Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved March 1, 2020.