List of IOC country codes

The flag of the international Olympic movement
The flag of the international Paralympic movement

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses three-letter abbreviation country codes[1] to refer to each group of athletes that participate in the Olympic Games. Each code usually identifies a National Olympic Committee (NOC), but there are several codes that have been used for other instances in past Games, such as teams composed of athletes from multiple nations, or groups of athletes not formally representing any nation.

Several of the IOC codes are different from the standard ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes. Other sporting organisations, such as FIFA, use similar country codes to refer to their respective teams, but with some differences. Still others, such as the Commonwealth Games Federation or Association of Tennis Professionals, use the IOC list verbatim.

History

The 1956 Winter Olympics and 1960 Summer Olympics were the first Games to feature Initials of Nations to refer to each NOC in the published official reports.[2] However, the codes used at the next few Games were often based on the host nation's language (e.g., GIA for Japan at the 1956 Winter Olympics and 1960 Summer Olympics, both held in Italy, from Italian Giappone) or based on the French name for the nation (e.g., COR for Korea, from Corée). By the 1972 Winter Olympics, most codes were standardized on the current usage, but several have changed in recent years. Additionally, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, division and unification of Germany, breakup of Yugoslavia, dissolution of Czechoslovakia, and several other instances of geographical renaming have all resulted in code changes.

In addition to this list of over 200 NOCs, the participation of National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) at the Paralympic Games requires standardised IOC codes, such as Macau (or as "Macau, China" since 1999) and the Faroe Islands, coded MAC and FRO respectively.[3][4]

Current NOCs

There are 206 current NOCs (National Olympic Committees) within the Olympic Movement. The following tables show the currently used code for each NOC and any different codes used in past Games, per the official reports from those Games. Some of the past code usage is further explained in the following sections. Codes used specifically for a Summer Games only or a Winter Games only, within the same year, are indicated by "S" and "W" respectively.

Code National Olympic Committee Other codes used Link
AFG Afghanistan
ALB Albania
ALG Algeria
  • AGR (1964)
  • AGL (1968 S)
AND Andorra
ANG Angola
ANT Antigua and Barbuda
ARG Argentina
ARM Armenia
ARU Aruba
ASA American Samoa
AUS Australia
AUT Austria
AZE Azerbaijan
BAH Bahamas
BAN Bangladesh
BAR BarbadosBAD (1964)
BDI Burundi
BEL Belgium
BEN Benin
  • DAY (1964)
  • DAH (1968–1976)
BER Bermuda
BHU Bhutan
BIH Bosnia and HerzegovinaBSH (1992 S)
BIZ BelizeHBR (1968–1972)
BLR Belarus
BOL Bolivia
BOT Botswana
BRA Brazil
BRN Bahrain
BRU Brunei
BUL Bulgaria
BUR Burkina FasoVOL (1972–1984)
CAF Central African RepublicAFC (1968)
CAM Cambodia
  • CAB (1964)
  • KHM (1972–1976)
CAN Canada
CAY Cayman Islands
CGO Congo
CHA ChadCHD (1964)
CHI Chile
  • CIL (1956 W
  • 1960 S)
CHN ChinaPRC (1952 S)
CIV Ivory Coast
  • IVC (1964)
  • CML (1968)
CMR Cameroon
COD Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • COK (1968)
  • ZAI (1972–1996)
COK Cook Islands
COL Colombia
COM Comoros
CPV Cape Verde
CRC Costa RicaCOS (1964)
CRO Croatia
CUB Cuba
CYP Cyprus
CZE Czech Republic
DEN Denmark
  • DAN (1960 S
  • 1968 W)
  • DIN (1968 S)
DJI Djibouti
DMA Dominica
DOM Dominican Republic
ECU Ecuador
EGY Egypt
  • RAU (1960
  • 1968)
  • UAR (1964)
ERI Eritrea
ESA El SalvadorSAL (1964–1976)
ESP Spain
  • SPA (1956–1964
  • 1968 W)
EST Estonia
ETH Ethiopia
  • ETI (1960
  • 1968)
FIJ FijiFIG (1960)
FIN Finland
FRA France
FSM Federated States of Micronesia
GAB Gabon
GAM The Gambia
GBR Great Britain
  • GRB (1956 W–1960)
  • GBI (1964)
GBS Guinea-Bissau
GEO Georgia
GEQ Equatorial Guinea
GER Germany
GHA Ghana
GRE Greece
GRN Grenada
GUA GuatemalaGUT (1964)
GUI Guinea
GUM Guam
GUY Guyana
  • GUA (1960)
  • GUI (1964)
HAI Haiti
HKG Hong KongHOK (1960–1968)
HON Honduras
HUN Hungary
  • UNG (1956 W
  • 1960 S)
INA IndonesiaINS (1960)
IND India
IRI Iran
  • IRN (1956–1988)
  • IRA (1968 W)
IRL Ireland
IRQ Iraq
  • IRK (1960
  • 1968)
ISL Iceland
  • ICE (1960 W
  • 1964 S)
ISR Israel
ISV Virgin Islands
ITA Italy
IVB British Virgin Islands
JAM Jamaica
JOR Jordan
JPN Japan
  • GIA (1956 W
  • 1960 S)
  • JAP (1960 W)
KAZ Kazakhstan
KEN Kenya
KGZ Kyrgyzstan
KIR Kiribati
KOR South Korea
  • COR (1956 W
  • 1960 S
  • 1968 S
  • 1972 S)
KOS Kosovo
KSA Saudi Arabia
  • ARS (1968–1976)
  • SAU (1980–1984)
KUW Kuwait
LAO Laos
LAT Latvia
LBA Libya
  • LYA (1964)
  • LBY (1968 W)
LBN Lebanon
  • LEB (1960 W
  • 1964 S)
  • LIB (1964–2016)
LBR Liberia
LCA Saint Lucia
LES Lesotho
LIE Liechtenstein
  • LIC (1956 W
  • 1964 S
  • 1968 W)
LTU LithuaniaLIT (1992 W)
LUX Luxembourg
MAD MadagascarMAG (1964)
MAR MoroccoMRC (1964)
MAS MalaysiaMAL (1964–1988)
MAW Malawi
MDA MoldovaMLD (1994)
MDV Maldives
MEX Mexico
MGL MongoliaMON (1968 W)
MHL Marshall Islands
MKD Macedonia
MLI Mali
MLT MaltaMAT (1960–1964)
MNE Montenegro
MON Monaco
MOZ Mozambique
MRI Mauritius
MTN Mauritania
MYA Myanmar
  • BIR (1948–1960
  • 1968–1988)
  • BUR (1964)
NAM Namibia
NCA Nicaragua
  • NCG (1964)
  • NIC (1968)
NED Netherlands
  • OLA (1956 W)
  • NET (1960 W)
  • PBA (1960 S)
  • NLD (1964 S)
  • HOL (1968–1988)
NEP Nepal
NGR Nigeria
  • NIG (1960 S)
  • NGA (1964)
NIG NigerNGR (1964)
NOR Norway
NRU Nauru
NZL New Zealand
  • NZE (1960
  • 1968 W)
OMA Oman
PAK Pakistan
PAN Panama
PAR Paraguay
PER Peru
PHI Philippines
  • FIL (1960
  • 1968)
PLE Palestine
PLW Palau
PNG Papua New Guinea
  • NGY (1976–1980)
  • NGU (1984–1988)
POL Poland
POR Portugal
PRK North Korea
  • NKO (1964 S
  • 1968 W)
  • CDN (1968)
PUR Puerto Rico
  • PRI (1960)
  • PRO (1968)
QAT Qatar
ROU Romania
  • ROM (1956–1960
  • 1972–2006)
  • RUM (1964–1968)
RSA South AfricaSAF (1960–1972)
RUS Russia
RWA Rwanda
SAM Samoa
SEN SenegalSGL (1964)
SEY Seychelles
SGP SingaporeSIN (1959–2016)
SKN Saint Kitts and Nevis
SLE Sierra LeoneSLA (1968)
SLO Slovenia
SMR San MarinoSMA (1960–1964)
SOL Solomon Islands
SOM Somalia
SRB Serbia
SRI Sri Lanka
  • CEY (1948–1964
  • 1972)
  • CEI (1968 S)
SSD South Sudan
STP São Tomé and Príncipe
SUD Sudan
SUI Switzerland
  • SVI (1956 W
  • 1960 S)
  • SWI (1960 W
  • 1964 S)
SUR Suriname
SVK Slovakia
SWE Sweden
  • SVE (1956 W
  • 1960 S)
  • SUE (1968 S)
SWZ Swaziland
SYR SyriaSIR (1968)
TAN Tanzania
TGA TongaTON (1984)
THA Thailand
TJK Tajikistan
TKM Turkmenistan
TLS East Timor
TOG Togo
TPE Chinese Taipei[5]
  • RCF (1956–1960)
  • TWN (1964–1968)
  • ROC (1972–1976)
TTO Trinidad and Tobago
  • TRT (1964–1968)
  • TRI (1972–2012)
TUN Tunisia
TUR Turkey
TUV Tuvalu
UAE United Arab Emirates
UGA Uganda
UKR Ukraine
URU UruguayURG (1968)
USA United States
  • SUA (1960 S)
  • EUA (1968 S)
UZB Uzbekistan
VAN Vanuatu
VEN Venezuela
VIE Vietnam
  • VET (1964)
  • VNM (1968–1976)
VIN Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
YEM Yemen
ZAM ZambiaNRH (1964)
ZIM ZimbabweRHO (1960–1972)

Current NPCs

Most National Paralympic Committees (NPC) cover a territory with an active NOC. In these cases the NPC codes matches the IOC codes shown above. The two current NPCs without a corresponding NOC use the following NPC codes.

Code National Paralympic Committee Link
MAC MacauAssociação Recreativa dos Deficientes de Macau
FRO Faroe IslandsThe Faroese Sport Organisation for Disabled

Historic NOCs and teams

Codes still in use

Fourteen historical NOCs or teams have codes that are still used in the IOC results database[6] to refer to past medal winners from these teams.

Code Nation/Team Other codes used
AHONetherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
ANZ Australasia
BOH Bohemia
BWI British West Indies
  • ANT (1960
  • 1968)
  • WID (1964)
EUAGermany United Team of GermanyGER (1956–1964)
EUNInternational Olympic Committee Unified Team
FRG West Germany
  • ALL (1968 W)
  • ALE (1968 S)
  • GER (1972–1976)
GDR East GermanyADE (1968)
RU1 Russian Empire
SCG Serbia and Montenegro
TCH Czechoslovakia
  • CSL (1956 W)
  • CZE (1960 W)
  • CSV (1960 S)
  • CZS (1964 S)
  • CHE (1968 S)
URS Soviet UnionSOV (1968 W)
YUG Yugoslavia
  • JUG (1956–1960
  • 1968 W)
  • YUS (1964 S)
ZZXInternational Olympic Committee Mixed teams

Obsolete codes

Code Nation (NOC) Years Notes
BIR Burma1948–1988Now  Myanmar (MYA)
CEY Ceylon1948–1972Now  Sri Lanka (SRI)
DAH Dahomey1964–1976Now  Benin (BEN)
GUI British Guiana1948–1964Now  Guyana (GUY)
HBR British Honduras1968–1972Now  Belize (BIZ)
IHO Dutch East Indies1934–1938Now  Indonesia (INA)
KHM Khmer Republic1972–1976Now  Cambodia (CAM)
MAL Malaya1956–1960Competed independently prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Now  Malaysia (MAS)
NBO North Borneo1956
NRH Northern Rhodesia1964Now  Zambia (ZAM)
RAU United Arab Republic1960Now  Egypt (EGY) and  Syria (SYR)
RHO Rhodesia1960–1972Now  Zimbabwe (ZIM)
ROC Republic of China1932–1976Now competing under the name  Chinese Taipei (TPE)
SAA Saar1952Competed independently prior to rejoining  West Germany (FRG) in 1957
UAR United Arab Republic1964–1968Now  Egypt (EGY)
VOL Upper Volta1972–1984Now  Burkina Faso (BUR)
YAR North Yemen1984–1988Competed independently prior to Yemeni unification in 1990.
Now  Yemen (YEM)
YMD South Yemen1988
ZAI Zaire1972–1996Now  Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD)
— Gold Coast1952Now  Ghana (GHA)

Two other significant code changes have occurred, both because of a change in the nation's designation as used by the IOC:

  • HOL was changed to NED for the Netherlands for the 1992 Games, reflecting the change in designation from Holland.
  • IRN was changed to IRI for Iran for the 1992 Games, reflecting the change in designation to Islamic Republic of Iran.

Special codes for Olympics

Code Nation/Team Years Notes
ANZ Australasia1908–1912Used in the IOC's medal database[6] to identify the team from Australasia, composed of athletes from both Australia and New Zealand for the 1908 and 1912 Games. By 1920, both nations competed separately.
COR Korea2018Used for a unified Korean ice hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Also used when the delegations of the two Korean NOCs enter together during the opening ceremony.[7]
EUA United Team of Germany1956–1964Used in the IOC's medal database[6] to identify the United Team of Germany, composed of athletes representing the NOCs of both East Germany and West Germany for the 1956–1964 Games. At the time, the team was simply known as Germany in the official reports for those six Games.
EUN Unified Team1992Used in 1992 (both Summer and Winter Games) for the Unified Team, composed of athletes from most of the ex-republics of the Soviet Union. Only the Baltic states were able to compete as independent teams in 1992; the other twelve new nations competed independently for the first time in 1994 and/or 1996.
IOP Independent Olympic Participants
  • 1992
  • 2014
Used for Independent Olympic Participants at the 1992 Summer Olympics as a designation used for athletes from FR Yugoslavia who could not compete as a team due to United Nations sanctions. At the 1992 Summer Olympics IOP was used as a designation for athletes from the Republic of Macedonia too. IOP was also used during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi by Indian athletes due to the Indian Olympic Association suspension.
IOA Independent Olympic Athletes
  • 2000
  • 2012
  • 2016
Used for Individual Olympic Athletes in 2000,[8] a designation used for athletes from Timor-Leste prior to the formation of its NOC. IOA was used again in the 2012 Games, when it stood for Independent Olympic Athletes,[9] comprising athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles and a runner from South Sudan. The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee's membership from the IOC was withdrawn the previous year, and South Sudan has not formed an NOC. IOA was used again in 2016 for athletes from Kuwait as a result of the suspension of its National Olympic Committee.[10]
IOC Athletes from Kuwait2010Used as the country code for Athletes from Kuwait at the 2010 Asian Games, as the Kuwait Olympic Committee was suspended.
MIX Mixed-NOCs2010–2016Used as the country code for Mixed NOCs at the Youth Olympics.[11]
OAR Olympic Athletes from Russia2018Used for Olympic Athletes from Russia competing as neutral athletes due to the state-sponsored doping scandal.[12]
ROT Refugee Olympic Team2016Used for the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics for athletes to compete who have been displaced from their home countries.[13]
ZZX Mixed team1896–1904Used in the IOC's medal database[6] to identify medals won by mixed teams of athletes from multiple nations (such as the combination of France and Great Britain, for example), a situation that happened several times in the Games of 1896, 1900, and 1904.

Special codes for Paralympics

Code Nation/Team Years Notes
IPP Independent Paralympic Participants1992Used for Independent Paralympic Participants at the 1992 Summer Paralympics as a designation used for athletes from FR Yugoslavia who could not compete as a team due to United Nations sanctions. At the 1992 Summer Paralympics IPP was used as a designation for athletes from the Republic of Macedonia too.
IPA Individual Paralympic Athletes
  • 2000
  • 2016
NPA Neutral Paralympic Athletes2018Used for Neutral Paralympic Athletes competing as neutral athletes due to the state-sponsored doping scandal.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Olympic_Solidarity/2011_report_Moving_Forward.pdf
  2. ↑ Mallon, Bill; Ove Karlsson (May 2004). "IOC and OCOG Abbreviations for NOCs" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. 12 (2): 25–28. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  3. ↑ Faroe Islands Archived 2012-12-04 at Archive.is
  4. ↑ Macau, China Archived 2013-01-03 at Archive.is
  5. ↑ Official name given to the Republic of China for Olympic competition
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  7. ↑ IOC. "Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration" (PDF). Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "The Results" (PDF). la84foundation.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27.
  9. ↑ "Independent Olympic Athletes". London2012.com. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2013-02-28.
  10. ↑ "Independent Olympic Athletes". Rio2016.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Mixed NOCs". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25.
  12. ↑ "IOC suspends Russian NOC and creates a path for clean individual athletes to compete in PyeongChang 2018 under the Olympic Flag". 24 January 2018.
  13. ↑ Rio2016.org, 3 June 2016 Archived 2016-08-05 at the Wayback Machine.

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