The modern Olympic Games were founded by French historian Pierre de Coubertin, and France has competed in each edition (both Summer and Winter), with the possible exception of the 1904 Games (as sources disagree about whether athlete Albert Corey competed for the United States or France.[1][2])
French athletes have won 751 medals at the Summer Olympic Games in a wide variety of sports, achieving particular success in fencing and cycling. France has won an additional 124 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, mostly in alpine skiing.
France has hosted the Olympic games on five occasions and is planning to host the sixth: the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Games
Host city
Dates
Nations
Participants
Events
1900 Summer Olympics
Paris
14 May – 28 October
24
997
95
1924 Winter Olympics
Chamonix
25 January – 4 February
16
258
16
1924 Summer Olympics
Paris
4 May – 27 July
44
3,089
126
1968 Winter Olympics
Grenoble
6 – 18 February
37
1,158
35
1992 Winter Olympics
Albertville
4 – 23 February
64
1,801
57
2024 Summer Olympics
Paris
26 July-11 August
TBA
10 500
329
Medal tables[]
See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table
*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Number of medals won by France at the Olympic summer games from 1896 to 2012.
Number of medals won by France at the Olympic winter games from 1924 to 2014.
Medals by summer sport[]
Leading in that sport
Sport
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Fencing
44
43
36
123
Cycling
41
26
26
93
Judo
16
13
28
57
Equestrian
15
15
13
43
Sailing
15
14
20
49
Athletics
13
27
30
70
Shooting
9
12
9
30
Weightlifting
9
3
3
15
Swimming
8
16
19
43
Rowing
8
15
13
36
Canoeing
8
9
19
36
Archery
7
11
7
25
Boxing
6
9
10
25
Tennis
5
6
8
19
Wrestling
4
4
10
18
Handball
4
2
1
7
Gymnastics
3
10
9
22
Croquet
3
2
2
7
Football
1
1
0
2
Water polo
1
0
2
3
Karate
1
0
0
1
Volleyball
1
0
0
1
Water motorsports
1
0
0
1
Basketball
0
4
1
5
Taekwondo
0
3
5
8
Rugby
0
3
0
3
Modern pentathlon
0
1
2
3
Table tennis
0
1
1
2
Diving
0
1
0
1
Artistic swimming
0
0
1
1
Marathon swimming
0
0
1
1
Triathlon
0
0
1
1
Totals (32 sports)
223
251
277
751
Top 3 in summer sports
Sport
Medals to lead
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Cycling
-8
-11
-13
Handball
0
-1
0
Croquet
0
0
0
Basque pelota
1
0
0
Cricket
1
0
0
Rugby union
1
0
0
Water motorsports
1
0
0
Fencing
5
3
0
Judo
32
8
0
Equestrian
14
1
3
Tennis
16
0
4
Medals by winter sport[]
Sport
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Alpine skiing
15
16
17
48
Biathlon
9
5
12
26
Snowboarding
4
4
4
12
Freestyle skiing
3
5
6
14
Figure skating
3
3
7
13
Nordic combined
2
1
1
4
Cross country skiing
0
1
3
4
Bobsleigh
0
0
1
1
Curling
0
0
1
1
Ski jumping
0
0
1
1
Totals (10 sports)
36
35
53
124
Top 3 in winter sports
Sport
Medals to lead
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Snowboarding
10
3
6
Summary by sport[]
Aquatics[]
Swimming[]
France first competed in swimming at the Paris 1900 Games, with 47 swimmers taking one gold medal (and five total medals).
Games
Swimmers
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
47
7/7
1
2
2
5
Total
8
15
20
43
Archery[]
France competed in archery in its first Olympic appearance in Paris 1900. The French team there took 13 of the 20 medals, including gold in 4 of the 7 events.
Games
Archers
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
129
7/7
4
5
4
13
Total
6
11
7
24
Athletics[]
France first competed in athletics at the inaugural 1896 Games, winning a silver and a bronze. The nation's first gold medal in the sport is a disputed one; Michel Théato was Luxembourgish but living in Paris; his win in the 1900 marathon is credited to France by the International Olympic Committee, which rejected a petition by Luxembourg to change the Olympic record of Théato's nationality.[3]
Games
Athletes
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1896 Athens
5
9/12
0
1
1
2
1900 Paris
23
18/23
1
4
2
7
Total
14
27
29
70
Basque pelota[]
France is credited with a silver medal in the only appearance of basque pelota as a medal sport at the Olympics in 1900, though the French team (one of only two teams to enter) withdrew shortly before the competition started.[4][5]
France is one of two nations to have competed in the only Olympic cricket competition, in 1900. The French team lost to a British team, taking second place.
Games
Players
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
12
1/1
0
1
0
1
Total
0
1
0
1
Croquet[]
France was the only nation to compete in the only Olympic croquet competitions, in 1900.
Games
Players
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
10
3/3
3
2
2
7
Total
3
2
2
7
Cycling[]
France first competed in cycling in 1896, winning four of the six cycling events—all of the events which France contested. France has won more gold medals (41) and total medals (91) in the sport than any other nation.
Games
Cyclists
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1896 Athens
2
4/6
4
1
1
6
Total
41
27
23
91
Equestrian[]
France has won the third-most gold medals and fourth-most total medals in equestrian sports. The nation hosted the first equestrian events in Paris 1900, winning gold medals in two of the five events.
Games
Riders
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
39
5/5
2
2
4
8
Total
14
13
10
37
Fencing[]
France has won the second-most gold medals and second-most total medals in fencing, in each case behind Italy.
Games
Fencers
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1896 Athens
4
2/3
1
2
0
3
1900 Paris
211
7/7
5
5
5
15
Total
42
41
35
118
Football[]
France competed in the first men's Olympic football "tournament," winning one match and losing another to earn a second place finish currently recognized as a silver medal performance. The nation was a frequent competitor from then through 1996, peaking with a gold medal win in 1984. France did not qualify for the men's tournament from 2000 to 2016, but has qualified for the 2020 Games.
France did not qualify for the first four women's tournaments from 1996 to 2008. The French women debuted in 2012, placing 4th, and followed that with a 5th-place finish in 2016.
Games
Players
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
13
1/1
0
1
0
1
Total
1
1
0
2
Golf[]
France competed in the first Olympic golf tournaments in 1900, which the nation hosted. The French golfers' best results that year were 4th place for the women and 10th place for the men. France did not compete in the 1904 golf tournaments. When the sport returned to the Olympics in 2016, France had two men and two women compete; the best result was Grégory Bourdy's 21st-place finish.
Games
Fencers
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
7
2/2
0
0
0
0
2016 Rio de Janeiro
4
2/2
0
0
0
0
Total
0
0
0
0
Gymnastics[]
France had one gymnast participate in one event in the inaugural 1896 Games. The nation's first medals in the sport came when Paris hosted the Games in 1900; the only event on the schedule was the men's individual all-around, in which France swept the top 18 places (having 108 of the 135 competing gymnasts).
Games
Gymnasts
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1896 Athens
1
1/8
0
0
0
0
1900 Paris
108
1/1
1
1
1
3
Total
3
10
9
22
Polo[]
France competed at two of the five editions of Olympic polo tournaments, both occasions when Paris hosted the Games in 1900 and 1924. The nation is formally credited with no medals, though French players competed on a mixed team in 1900 (along with a British player) that took bronze. France had a fully-French team as well in 1900, which took fifth place. Both the all-French and the mixed team went 0–1 (losing to the same team), with the mixed team placed higher due to a bye. The French team in 1924 went 0–4 in the round-robin tournament. Thus, the overall Olympic record of teams with French polo players is 0–6.
France hosted the inaugural Olympic rowing contests in Paris 1900. France won 2 of the 5 gold medals, and a French boy served as cox in the final for the otherwise Dutch team that won the coxed pair.
France hosted the inaugural Olympic rugby union contest in 1900, winning the gold medal over Germany and Great Britain. France did not play in 1908, but returned in 1920 (losing the single match to the United States) and 1924 (beating Romania but losing again to the United States).
With the return of rugby, in the form of rugby sevens, in 2016, France competed again. France had both men's and women's teams in 2016; both advanced out of pool play to the quarterfinals but were defeated there.
Games
Players
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1900 Paris
17
1/1
1
0
0
1
1920 Antwerp
15
1/1
0
1
0
1
1924 Paris
30
1/1
0
1
0
1
2016 Rio de Janeiro
25
2/2
0
0
0
0
Total
1
2
0
3
Sailing[]
France hosted the first Olympic sailing competitions in 1900, earning 24 total medals in the 13 events, including 5 golds.
France competed in shooting at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one shooter in one event, winning no medals. The nation's first medals came when France hosted the Games in 1900, with 3 golds and 10 total medals that year.
Games
Shooters
Events
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1896 Athens
1
1/5
0
0
0
0
1900 Paris
37
9/9
3
4
3
10
Total
9
14
10
33
Tennis[]
France first competed in tennis at the inaugural 1896 Games, with one player competing in men's singles and losing in the first round.
Fencing
Cycling
Judo
Equestrian
Sailing
Athletics
Shooting
Weightlifting
Swimming
Rowing
Canoeing
Archery
Boxing
Tennis
Wrestling
Handball
Gymnastics
Croquet
Football
Water polo
Karate
Volleyball
Water motorsports
Basketball
Taekwondo
Rugby
Modern pentathlon
Table tennis
Diving
Artistic swimming
Marathon swimming
Triathlon
Alpine skiing
Biathlon
Snowboarding
Freestyle skiing
Figure skating
Nordic combined
Cross country skiing
Bobsleigh
Curling
Ski jumping
National Olympic Committees that have competed at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games portal
National sports teams of France
