Countries Who Have Never Medaled In The Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympics is an athletic competition where the best athletes in the world compete against each other. The athletes try to win either gold, silver, or bronze medals. 

The United States has dominated the Summer Olympics, but 65 countries in the world have never had any of their athletes win a medal at the Summer Olympic Games. Here are some of the countries that have never won a medal in the Summer Olympics:

Cambodia

Cambodia has a population of almost 17 million. It is bordered by Vietnam to the east, Laos to the northeast, Thailand to the northwest, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The United Nations (UN) considers Cambodia a least developed country. Cambodia has never competed in the Winter Olympics and has only competed in nine Summer Olympics. Cambodia first competed in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, but since they only participated in the equestrian games they actually physically competed in Sweden where those games were held. After the 1972 Summer Olympics, Cambodia did not compete again until the 1996 Summer Olympics because of the Khmer Rouge regime. The country has competed in every Summer Olympics since and has yet to win a medal.

Aruba

Aruba is an island country located about 30 km off Venezuela’s north coast. Aruba has a drier climate, and cacti dot its landscape. Aruba is one of the four countries that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a popular tourist destination as well. The country began participating in the games at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but it competed as a part of the Netherlands Antilles from 1952 until 1984. Aruban athletes have competed in the judo, swimming, cycling, and sailing events.

Madagascar

Madagascar is officially known as the Republic of Madagascar and is located about 400 km off Africa’s eastern coast. It is the second-largest island country in the world. The country began competing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and they sent 10 athletes to the 2000 Summer Olympics which was the largest number they have sent. In the 1968 Summer Olympics, Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa ran in the finals of the 100 meters and finished in eighth place. It was the highest any athlete from Madagascar has placed. The country also competed in the 2006 and 2018 Winter Olympics.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. It borders Honduras to the northwest, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The second-largest rainforest in the Americas is in Nicaragua. The 6.6 million people living in Nicaragua are of European, Asian, African, and Indigenous descent. Nicaragua has competed in the Summer Olympics since 1968, except for in the 1988 Games as it boycotted in support of North Korea. The Nicaraguan baseball team came close to winning a medal in the 1996 Atlanta games. The team beat Australia, Italy, South Korea, and the Netherlands before losing to Cuba. The largest delegation that ever competed at the Summer Olympics was during the 1996 Atlanta games.