Luxembourg at the Olympics
| Luxembourg at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | LUX |
| NOC | Luxembourg Olympic and Sporting Committee |
| Website | www |
| Medals Ranked 96th |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
Luxembourg's National Olympic Committee, the Luxembourg Olympic and Sporting Committee, was founded in 1912 and sent its first team to the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.
Only two athletes won medals competing for Luxembourg in the Summer Olympics: weightlifter Joseph Alzin, silver in 1920, and runner Josy Barthel, gold in 1952. In the late 20th-century, it was discovered that runner Michel Théato, whose gold medal in marathon at the 1900 Games was previously given to France, was actually Luxembourgish.[1] Although Théato moved to Paris and lived there until his death in 1923, there is no record that he ever filed for French citizenship. Nevertheless, as he represented a French club, his participation and gold medal are credited to France by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).[2][3]
Luxembourg first competed at the Winter Olympic Games in 1928, and has taken part in a total of 11 Winter Games. Thus, despite having been one of the earliest countries to take part, Luxembourg has competed in relatively few of the Games. To date, Luxembourg has won a total of two medals: both silver, and won by Marc Girardelli in 1992.
After Luxembourg's first appearance, in St. Moritz, and the country's second appearance, at the 1936 Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Luxembourg did not compete at the Winter Olympics for another five decades. As a low-lying country, whose highest peak (the Kneiff) lies only 560 metres (1,837 ft) above sea level, Luxembourg had little pedigree in most Winter Olympic sports.
However, the naturalisation of Marc Girardelli, an Austrian-born alpine skier, saw Luxembourg return to the Games in 1988. In the following Winter Olympics, in 1992 in Albertville, Girardelli won Luxembourg's first two Winter Olympic medals, scooping silver in both the giant slalom and super-G.
Neither Girardelli, nor Luxembourg, has won another Winter medal since 1992, but the country's return to the Winter world stage has been maintained by the appearance of two ice skaters in subsequent Games: Patrick Schmit in 1998 and Fleur Maxwell in 2006.
Luxembourg qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics with two athletes but did not participate because one did not reach the criteria set by the NOC and the other was injured before the Games.
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 Paris | did not participate | |||||
| 1904 St. Louis | did not participate | |||||
| 1908 London | ||||||
| 1912 Stockholm | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1920 Antwerp | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 1924 Paris | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1928 Amsterdam | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1932 Los Angeles | did not participate | |||||
| 1936 Berlin | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1948 London | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1952 Helsinki | 44 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 |
| 1956 Melbourne | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1960 Rome | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1964 Tokyo | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1968 Mexico City | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972 Munich | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1976 Montreal | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980 Moscow | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988 Seoul | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992 Barcelona | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996 Atlanta | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000 Sydney | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004 Athens | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008 Beijing | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012 London | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020 Tokyo | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024 Paris | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2028 Los Angeles | future event | |||||
| 2032 Brisbane | ||||||
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 96 | |
- Notes
- ART Art competitions (1912–1948) are not included in the medal table above, as they were non-sports events formerly part of the Olympic Games.[nb 1] Luxembourg won a total of three art competition medals (2 gold, and 1 silver), across the 1924, and 1928 Summer Olympics.[6]
- NAT Athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896, 1900, and 1904) are attributed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) according to the national affiliation of their club ot team, rather than their nationality.[nb 2] Luxembourgish-born Michel Théato competed for the French club, Club Amical et Sportif de Saint-Mandékn, and won the men's marathon at the 1900 Summer Olympics. As he represented a French club, his participation and gold medal are credited to France by the IOC.[3]
Medals by Winter Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 St. Moritz | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1932 Lake Placid | did not participate | |||||
| 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1948–1984 | did not participate | |||||
| 1988 Calgary | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992 Albertville | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 1994 Lillehammer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998 Nagano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | did not participate | |||||
| 2006 Turin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010 Vancouver | did not participate | |||||
| 2014 Sochi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022 Beijing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026 Milano Cortina | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2030 French Alps | future event | |||||
| 2034 Utah | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | |
Medals by summer sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Athletics | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Weightlifting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Medals by winter sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alpine skiing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals (1 entries) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
List of medalists
| Medal | Name | Games | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Josy Barthel | 1952 Helsinki | Athletics | Men's 1500m |
 Silver | Joseph Alzin | 1920 Antwerp | Weightlifting | Men's Heavyweight |
| Silver | Marc Girardelli | 1992 Albertville | Alpine skiing | Men's super-G |
| Silver | Marc Girardelli | 1992 Albertville | Alpine skiing | Men's giant slalom |
See also
Notes
- ↑ In 1952, art competition medals, as well as the gold medal awards for feats in alpinism and aeronautics, were removed from the official national medal counts.[7] Only since 2021 have they been officially listed again by the IOC in the medal tables and respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) profiles on its website.[6]
- ↑ In 2024, the IOC reinstated its original and current attribution policy for athletes at the early Olympic Games (1896, 1900, and 1904). From 2021 to 2024, the IOC briefly attributed medals in individual events according to the athlete's nationality, even when the athlete represented a foreign club or team[8] Since 2024, participation and medals have instead been attributed according to the national affiliation of the club or team represented by the athlete.[3][9]
References
- ↑ "60th anniversary for only Luxembourg Olympic gold medal win". Archived from the original on 2015-07-12. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
- ↑ "Michel THEATO - profile". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Paris 1900 marathon men Results - Olympic Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- 1 2 "Olympic Analytics – Luxembourg (LUX)". olympanalyt.com. Olympic Analytics. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
- 1 2 "Olympedia – Luxembourg (LUX)". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- 1 2 "Luxembourg - NOC Profile". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- McGillivray, Mary (2024-07-31). "ABC TV's The Art Of explores the surprising history of art competitions at the Olympics". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
- "Paris 1900 marathon men Results - Olympic Athletics (pre-2024)". International Olympic Committee. August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- "Olympedia – FAQ Nationality". Olympedia. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
External links
- "Luxembourg". International Olympic Committee. 27 July 2021.
- "Luxembourg". Olympedia.com.
- "Olympic Analytics/LUX". olympanalyt.com.
- Comité Olympique et Sportif Luxembourgeois (French)
