# Poland at the Olympics

Poland first participated at the Olympic Games in 1924, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for the 1984 Games, when they were forced to be part of the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics. Poland has also participated in every Winter Olympic Games.
Polish athletes have won a total of 331 medals (80 gold, 100 silver, 151 bronze) in 21 different summer and 5 different winter sports and the country currently ranks 21st in the all-time Olympic Games medal count, with athletics as the top medal-producing sport. Poland is the second most successful country in total medals of those who have never hosted the Olympics. The nation's best overall performance at the Olympics occurred at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, with the country's athletes winning 7 gold, 6 silver and 13 bronze medals and finishing sixth in the medal table.
Its most successful teams have been football and volleyball. Poland ranks fifth all-time in modern pentathlon, seventh in athletics, and has also been successful in weightlifting, martial arts and nordic skiing.
The National Olympic Committee for Poland is the Polish Olympic Committee (Polish: Polski Komitet Olimpijski, PKOl). The entity was created in 1918 and recognized in 1919.

## History

Poland officially made its debut at the Olympics in 1924, however, Polish athletes did participate in earlier editions of the Olympic Games representing other nations. The first ever Olympic medal for Poland (silver) was won by track cyclists in team pursuit Franciszek Szymczyk, Jan Lazarski, Józef Lange and Tomasz Stankiewicz at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris while the first gold medal for Poland was won by discus thrower Halina Konopacka at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The first Polish sportsperson who individually won two Olympic medals (silver and bronze) was equestrian Michał Antoniewicz in 1928.
After setting its gold medal record (7) in Montreal at the 1976 Summer Games, Poland won its largest number of medals to date (32) at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Poland was forced to boycott the next Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles by the Soviet Union, alongside another 13 Eastern Bloc countries in response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The most successful Polish Olympian to date is Irena Szewińska with seven Olympic medals altogether. With four gold medals, Robert Korzeniowski is the most successful Polish Olympian in terms of the number of gold medals.

## Multiple medalists

| Athlete | Sport | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Robert Korzeniowski | Athletics | 1996–2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Irena Szewińska | Athletics | 1964–1976 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Kamil Stoch | Ski jumping | 2014–2018 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Anita Włodarczyk | Athletics | 2012–2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Justyna Kowalczyk | Cross country skiing | 2006–2014 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Witold Woyda | Fencing | 1964–1972 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Renata Mauer | Shooting | 1996–2000 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Józef Szmidt | Athletics | 1960–1964 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Waldemar Baszanowski | Weightlifting | 1964–1968 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jerzy Kulej | Boxing | 1964–1968 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Józef Zapędzki | Shooting | 1968–1972 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Waldemar Legień | Judo | 1988–1992 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Arkadiusz Skrzypaszek | Modern pentathlon | 1992 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Andrzej Wroński | Wrestling | 1988–1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Robert Sycz | Rowing | 2000–2004 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tomasz Kucharski | Rowing | 2000–2004 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tomasz Majewski | Athletics | 2008–2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jerzy Pawłowski | Fencing | 1956–1968 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Otylia Jędrzejczak | Swimming | 2000–2004 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Teresa Ciepły | Athletics | 1960–1964 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Egon Franke | Fencing | 1964–1968 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Natalia Kaczmarek | Athletics | 2020-2024 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Stanisława Walasiewicz | Athletics | 1932–1936 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Elżbieta Krzesińska | Athletics | 1956–1960 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Józef Grudzień | Boxing | 1964–1968 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Lesław Ćmikiewicz | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Kazimierz Deyna | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jerzy Gorgoń | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Kazimierz Kmiecik | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Grzegorz Lato | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Zygmunt Maszczyk | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Antoni Szymanowski | Football | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bronisław Malinowski | Athletics | 1976–1980 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Tadeusz Ślusarski | Athletics | 1976–1980 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jacek Wszoła | Athletics | 1976–1980 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jan Kowalczyk | Equestrian | 1980 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Szymon Kołecki | Weightlifting | 2000–2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Iga Baumgart-Witan | Athletics | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Małgorzata Hołub-Kowalik | Athletics | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Justyna Święty-Ersetic | Athletics | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Ireneusz Paliński | Weightlifting | 1960–1964 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Halina Górecka | Athletics | 1960–1964 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Marian Kasprzyk | Boxing | 1960–1964 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ewa Kłobukowska | Athletics | 1964 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Lech Koziejowski | Fencing | 1972–1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Kazimierz Lipień | Wrestling | 1972–1976 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jerzy Rybicki | Boxing | 1976–1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Mateusz Kusznierewicz | Sailing | 1996–2004 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Leszek Blanik | Gymnastics | 2000–2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Zbigniew Bródka | Speed skating | 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Magdalena Fularczyk | Rowing | 2012–2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Wojciech Nowicki | Athletics | 2016-2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Adam Małysz | Ski jumping | 2002–2010 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Andrzej Piątkowski | Fencing | 1956–1964 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ryszard Zub | Fencing | 1956–1964 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Wojciech Zabłocki | Fencing | 1956–1964 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Marian Kuszewski | Fencing | 1956–1960 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Artur Olech | Boxing | 1964–1968 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Stanisław Szozda | Cycling | 1972–1976 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ryszard Szurkowski | Cycling | 1972–1976 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Piotr Małachowski | Athletics | 2008–2016 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Maja Włoszczowska | Cycling | 2008–2016 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Karolina Naja | Canoeing | 2012–2020 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Aneta Konieczna | Canoeing | 2000–2008 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Beata Mikołajczyk | Canoeing | 2008–2016 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Zbigniew Pietrzykowski | Boxing | 1956–1964 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Józef Tracz | Wrestling | 1988–1996 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Michał Antoniewicz | Equestrian | 1928 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Janusz Pawłowski | Judo | 1980–1988 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Marek Dopierała | Canoeing | 1988 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Marek Łbik | Canoeing | 1988 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Izabela Dylewska | Canoeing | 1988–1992 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Artur Partyka | Athletics | 1992–1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sylwia Gruchała | Fencing | 2000–2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Agata Wróbel | Weightlifting | 2000–2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Katarzyna Bachleda-Curuś | Speed skating | 2010–2014 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Katarzyna Woźniak | Speed skating | 2010–2014 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Luiza Złotkowska | Speed skating | 2010–2014 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska | Rowing | 2016–2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Maria Sajdak | Rowing | 2016–2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Anna Puławska | Canoeing | 2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Marian Zieliński | Weightlifting | 1956–1968 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Teodor Kocerka | Rowing | 1952–1960 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Krystyna Czajkowska | Volleyball | 1964–1968 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Krystyna Jakubowska | Volleyball | 1964–1968 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Krystyna Krupa | Volleyball | 1964–1968 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Jadwiga Książek | Volleyball | 1964–1968 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Józefa Ledwig | Volleyball | 1964–1968 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Zofia Szczęśniewska | Volleyball | 1964–1968 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Leszek Błażyński | Boxing | 1972–1976 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Janusz Gortat | Boxing | 1972–1976 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Beata Sokołowska-Kulesza | Canoeing | 2000–2004 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Dawid Kubacki | Ski jumping | 2018–2022 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

## Flag bearers

* 2024 Paris – Anita Włodarczyk (athletics) and Przemysław Zamojski (basketball)
* 2022 Beijing – Aleksandra Król (snowboarding) and Zbigniew Bródka (speed skating)
* 2020 Tokyo – Paweł Korzeniowski (swimming), Maja Włoszczowska (mountain biking)
* 2018 Pyeongchang – Zbigniew Bródka (speed skating)
* 2016 Rio de Janeiro – Karol Bielecki (handball)
* 2014 Sochi – Dawid Kupczyk (bobsleigh)
* 2012 London – Agnieszka Radwańska (tennis)
* 2010 Vancouver – Konrad Niedźwiedzki (speed skating)
* 2008 Beijing – Marek Twardowski (canoe racing)
* 2006 Turin – Paulina Ligocka (snowboarding)
* 2004 Athens – Bartosz Kizierowski (swimming)
* 2002 Salt Lake City – Mariusz Siudek (figure skating)
* 2000 Sydney – Andrzej Wroński (wrestling)
* 1998 Nagano – Jan Ziemianin (biathlon)
* 1996 Atlanta – Rafał Szukała (swimming)
* 1994 Lillehammer – Tomasz Sikora (biathlon)
* 1992 Barcelona – Waldemar Legień (judo)
* 1992 Albertville – Henryk Gruth (ice hockey)
* 1988 Seoul – Bogdan Daras (wrestling)
* 1988 Calgary – Henryk Gruth (ice hockey)
* 1984 Sarajevo – Józef Łuszczek (cross-country skiing)
* 1980 Moscow – Czesław Kwieciński (wrestling)
* 1980 Lake Placid – Józef Łuszczek (cross-country skiing)
* 1976 Montreal – Grzegorz Śledziewski (canoe racing)
* 1976 Innsbruck – Wojciech Truchan (biathlon)
* 1972 Munich – Waldemar Baszanowski (weightlifting)
* 1972 Sapporo – Andrzej Bachleda (alpine skiing)
* 1968 Mexico City – Waldemar Baszanowski (weightlifting)
* 1968 Grenoble – Stanisław Szczepaniak (biathlon)
* 1964 Tokyo – Waldemar Baszanowski (weightlifting)
* 1964 Innsbruck – Jerzy Wojnar (luge)
* 1960 Rome – Teodor Kocerka (rowing)
* 1960 Squaw Valley – Józef Karpiel (Nordic combined/cross-country skiing)
* 1956 Melbourne – Tadeusz Rut (athletics)
* 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo – Tadeusz Kwapień (cross-country skiing)
* 1952 Helsinki – Teodor Kocerka (rowing)
* 1952 Oslo – Stanisław Marusarz (ski jumping)
* 1948 London – Mieczysław Łomowski (athletics)
* 1948 St. Moritz – Stanisław Marusarz (ski jumping)
* 1936 Berlin – Klemens Biniakowski (athletics)
* 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Bronisław Czech (ski jumping/Nordic combined/Alpine skiing)
* 1932 Los Angeles – Janusz Ślązak (rowing)
* 1932 Lake Placid – Józef Stogowski (ice hockey)
* 1928 Amsterdam – Marian Cieniewski (wrestling)
* 1928 St. Moritz – Andrzej Krzeptowski I (ski jumping/Nordic combined)
* 1924 Paris – Sławosz Szydłowski (athletics)
* 1924 Chamonix – Kazimierz Smogorzewski (sports journalist)