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 Link National Olympic Committee Other codes used
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  Barbados BAD (1964)
BDI  Burundi
BEL  Belgium
BEN  Benin DAY (1964), DAH (1968–1976)
BER  Bermuda
BHU  Bhutan
BIH  Bosnia and Herzegovina BSH (1992 S)
BIZ  Belize HBR (1968–1972)
BLR  Belarus
BOL  Bolivia
BOT  Botswana
BRA  Brazil
BRN  Bahrain
BRU  Brunei
BUL  Bulgaria
BUR  Burkina Faso VOL (1972–1984)
CAF  Central African Republic AFC (1968)
CAM  Cambodia CAB (1964), KHM (1972–1976)
CAN  Canada
CAY  Cayman Islands
CGO  Congo
CHA  Chad CHD (1964)
CHI  Chile CIL (1956 W, 1960 S)
CHN  China PRC (1952 S)
CIV  Ivory Coast IVC (1964), CML (1968)
CMR  Cameroon
COD  DR Congo COK (1968), ZAI (1972–1996)
COK  Cook Islands
COL  Colombia
COM  Comoros
CPV  Cape Verde
CRC  Costa Rica COS (1964)
CRO  Croatia
CUB  Cuba
CYP  Cyprus
CZE  Czech Republic TCH (1984)
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 Salvador SAL (1964–1976)
ESP  Spain SPA (1956–1964, 1968 W)
EST  Estonia
ETH  Ethiopia ETI (1960, 1968)
FIJ  Fiji FIG (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 ALL (1968 W), ALE (1968 S)
GHA  Ghana
GRE  Greece
GRN  Grenada
GUA  Guatemala GUT (1964)
GUI  Guinea
GUM  Guam
GUY  Guyana GUA (1960), GUI (1964)
HAI  Haiti
HKG  Hong Kong HOK (1960–1968)
HON  Honduras
HUN  Hungary UNG (1956 W, 1960 S)
INA  Indonesia INS (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 ISL
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  Lithuania LIT (1992 W)
LUX  Luxembourg
MAD  Madagascar MAG (1964)
MAR  Morocco MRC (1964)
MAS  Malaysia MAL (1964–1988)
MAW  Malawi
MDA  Moldova MLD (1994)
MDV  Maldives
MEX  Mexico
MGL  Mongolia MON (1968 W)
MHL  Marshall Islands
MKD  Macedonia
MLI  Mali
MLT  Malta MAT (1960–1964)
MNE  Montenegro
MON  Monaco
MOZ  Mozambique
MRI  Mauritius
MTN  Mauritania
MYA  Myanmar BIR (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  Niger NGR (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 Africa SAF (1960–1972)
RUS  Russia
RWA  Rwanda
SAM  Samoa
SEN  Senegal SGL (1964)
SEY  Seychelles
SGP  Singapore SIN (1959–2016)
SKN  Saint Kitts and Nevis
SLE  Sierra Leone SLA (1968)
SLO  Slovenia
SMR  San Marino SMA (1960–1964)
SOL  Solomon Islands
SOM  Somalia
SRB  Serbia
SRI  Sri Lanka CEY (1960-1964, 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  Syria RAU (1960), SIR (1968)
TAN  Tanzania
TGA  Tonga TON (1984)
THA  Thailand
TJK  Tajikistan
TKM  Turkmenistan
TLS  Timor-Leste IOA (Individual Olympic Athletes, 2000)
TOG  Togo
TPE  Chinese Taipei[5] RCF (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  Uruguay URG (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  Zambia NRH (1964)
ZIM  Zimbabwe RHO (1960–1972)

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
AHO  Netherlands Antilles
ANZ  Australasia
BOH  Bohemia
BWI  British West Indies ANT (1960, 1968), WID (1964)
EUA Germany United Team of Germany GER (1956–1964)
EUN International Olympic Committee Unified Team
FRG  West Germany ALL (1968 W), ALE (1968 S), GER (1972–1976)
GDR  East Germany ADE (1968)
RU1  Russian Empire
SCG  Serbia and Montenegro YUG (1996 S-2002 W)
TCH  Czechoslovakia CSL (1956 W), CZE (1960 W), CSV (1960 S), CZS (1964 S), CHE (1968 S)
URS  Soviet Union SOV (1968 W)
YUG  Yugoslavia JUG (1956–1960, 1968 W), YUS (1964 S)
ZZX International Olympic Committee Mixed teams

Obsolete codes

Code Nation (NOC) Years Notes
BIR  Burma 1948–1988 Now  Myanmar (MYA)
CEY  Ceylon 1948–1972 Now  Sri Lanka (SRI)
DAH  Dahomey 1964–1976 Now  Benin (BEN)
GUI  British Guiana 1948–1964 Now  Guyana (GUY)
HBR  British Honduras 1968–1972 Now  Belize (BIZ)
KHM  Khmer Republic 1972–1976 Now  Cambodia (CAM)
MAL  Malaya 1956–1960 Competed independently prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Now  Malaysia (MAS)
NBO  North Borneo 1956
NRH  Northern Rhodesia 1964 Now  Zambia (ZAM)
RAU  United Arab Republic 1960 Now  Egypt (EGY)
and  Syria (SYR)
RHO  Rhodesia 1960–1972 Now  Zimbabwe (ZIM)
ROC  Republic of China 1932–1976 Now competing under the name  Chinese Taipei (TPE)
SAA  Saar 1952 Competed independently prior to rejoining  West Germany (FRG) in 1957
UAR  United Arab Republic 1964–1968 Now  Egypt (EGY)
VOL  Upper Volta 1972–1984 Now  Burkina Faso (BUR)
YAR  North Yemen 1984–1988 Competed independently prior to Yemeni unification in 1990.
Now  Yemen (YEM)
YMD  South Yemen 1988
ZAI  Zaire 1972–1996 Now  DR Congo (COD)
——  Gold Coast 1952 Now  Ghana (GHA)

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

Special codes

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
  4. Macau, China
  5. Official name given to the Republic of China for Olympic competition
  6. 1 2 3 "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  7. "Mixed NOCs". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25.
  8. Rio2016.org, 3 June 2016 Archived 2016-08-05 at the Wayback Machine.
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