Athletes, our priority
Olympic Solidarity aims to ensure that athletes with talent have an equal chance of reaching the Games and succeeding in the Olympic arena.
Giving every athlete a chance to succeed
The world’s greatest sporting festival, the Olympic Games, offers the world’s athletes the opportunity to come together in the same city, the same “village” and the same stadium. They are also the chance for athletes from less advantaged countries to pit themselves against, and sometimes beat, competitors from better off countries, with such stories also contributing to the success of the Games. However, talent and determination are not sufficient to make happy endings. High-level support and preparation are also needed, and many people are unaware of just how much these cost. It was for this reason that, on the occasion of the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona in 1992, the idea was born of offering specific financial and technical assistance to athletes preparing for the Olympic Games. Since then, this operation has been repeated for all the Games of the Olympiad, with constant improvements aimed at meeting the athletes’ needs as much as possible.
Enlarging the scope of our action
In order to respond to increasing requests from the NOCs with a solid tradition in winter sports, Olympic scholarships are also offered for the Olympic Winter Games, starting in Vancouver in 2010.
The programme of Olympic scholarships for athletes is just one of Olympic Solidarity’s many forms of action.
Key figures
- 429 Olympic individual scholarships (265 men and 164 women) allocated to 80 NOCs.
- 236 Olympic Solidarity individual scholarship holders competed (138 men and 98 women).
- 10 medals won by individual scholarship holders: 3 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze, plus 35 diplomas.
- 93 NOCs received NOC Olympic Solidarity funding (80 through individual scholarships and 13 through tailor-made assistance).
- 3 medals won by teams who received Olympic Solidarity grants: 1 silver, 2 bronze plus 2 diplomas.
- 1,836 Olympic scholarships allocated to 186 NOCs
- 827 Olympic scholarship holders (470 men/357 women) from 178 NOCs participating in the Games in 26 sports
- 56 additional scholarships were allocated to refugee athletes. Of these athletes, 29 (19 men and 10 women) from 13 host NOCs competed in 12 sports
- 113 medals (30 gold, 36 silver, 47 bronze) and 185 diplomas won by Olympic scholarship holders
- 29 teams (15 men’s et 14 women’s) from 25 NOCs competing in eight sports
- Many national records, personal bests and first appearances by a country in a particular sport
More details in the brochure: Olympic Scholarships for Athletes – Tokyo 2020
- 435 individual Olympic scholarships and 14 tailor-made grants allocated
- 268 Olympic scholarship holders qualified in 5 sports
- 89 NOCs benefited from the programme
More details in the brochure: Olympic Scholarships for Athletes – PyeongChang 2018
- 1,547 Olympic scholarships allocated
- 185 NOCs benefited from the programme
- 815 Olympic scholarship holders from 171 NOCs participating in the Games (477 men/338 women), in 22 sports
- 10 additional scholarships were awarded to the Refugee Olympic Team (R.O.T.), 4 women and 6 men
- 101 medals awarded (33 gold, 26 silver, 42 bronze)
- 25 NOCs had their delegation made up of 50% (or more) of Olympic scholarship holders
- The delegations of 6 NOCs (Swaziland, Lao PDR, Liechtenstein, Kosovo, San Marino and Solomon Islands) were made up entirely of Olympic scholarship holders.
- Many national records, personal bests and first appearances by a country in a particular sport
More details in the brochure: Olympic Scholarships for Athletes – Rio 2016
- 440 individual Olympic scholarships and 4 tailor-made grants allocated
- 273 Olympic scholarship holders qualified in 5 sports
- 77 NOCs benefited from the programme
- Only the second Olympic Winter Games to offer Olympic scholarships to athletes, following the successful debut of the programme ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games
More details in the brochure: Olympic Scholarships for Athletes - Sochi 2014
- 1,264 Olympic scholarships allocated
- 657 Olympic scholarship holders from 165 NOCs participating in the Games (409 men/248 women), in 20 sports
- 76 medals awarded
- 177 NOCs benefited from the programme
- 29 NOCs had their delegation made up of 50% (or more) of Olympic scholarship holders.
- The delegations of 4 NOCs (Cayman Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Lao PDR and Swaziland) were made up entirely of Olympic scholarship holders.
- Many national records, personal bests and first appearances by a country in a particular sport
More details in the brochure: Olympic Scholarships for Athletes - London 2012