In more ways than one, Switzerland has a strong Olympics tradition.
Lausanne is the seat of the International Olympic Committee and, not coincidentally, hosts the official Olympic Museum as well.
It is also home to 25 sports federations, the vast majority of which represent disciplines at the Olympic Games.
All of this shows that Switzerland has very close ties with the Olympic movement.
First, a bit of historical context
Switzerland has sent athletes to the Olympics since the first modern-age Games held in Athens in 1896.
The country also hosted the winter Olympics twice, 20 years apart – the winters of 1928 and 1948, both in the Alpine resort of St Moritz.
In total, 345 medals had been awarded to Swiss athletes: 106 gold, 120 silver, and 119 bronze.
The most famous athlete to ever represent Switzerland at the Games was tennis champ Roger Federer, who made his debut at the age 19 in Sydney in 2000, and also participated in several other Olympics, winning a gold medal in 2008 in Beijing.
What about the 2024 team?
According to the Swiss Olympic Committee, Switzerland is sending 128 athletes to Paris — more ‘athlete power’ than in previous years.
Most of them represent just three disciplines: athletics (35), cycling (18), and rowing (17).
The youngest participant is 19 – the athletic gymnastics competitor Lena Bickel while the oldest, equestrian Puis Schwizer, is 61.
In terms of languages, 67 percent of Switzerland’s team are German speakers, 28 percent French, and 5 percent Italian, which is in line with Switzerland’s linguistic proportions.
What sports do Swiss athletes excel at?
The answer is easy for winter sports: downhill skiing, of course.
When it comes to summer Olympics sports, the most medals (48) were won in gymnastics, followed by rowing (23), and equestrian sports (22).
Canoeing, swimming, volleyball, and handball have netted just one medal each for Switzerland.
What about the Paralympics?
Swiss athletes have been participating in the Games since the inaugural Paralympics in Rome in 1960.
Only two athletes participated in the event that year, but nonetheless won four medals between them. They were Denis Favre, who competed in swimming and athletics, and Simone Knusli, in swimming.
This year, between 20 and 25 athletes will represent Switzerland in Paris in the Paralympic Games that will take place in Paris from August 28th to September 8th.
The exact lineup of the Swiss athletes will be known later in July, as the selection is still ongoing at this time. They will likely compete in athletics, cycling, rowing, and swimming, and possibly other disciplines as well.
You can see all the athletes active in summer sports within the Swiss Paralympic organisation here.
READ ALSO: How you can watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics on Swiss TV
If you’re attending the Games, you can find all the practical information you will need for your visit in the Paris Olympics Guides of our sister site The Local France.
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