Olympic Games
The Olympic Games, organised once every four years under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is the largest sporting celebration gathering the greatest number of athletes and people from over 200 nations in one place.
The modern Olympic Games had its roots in the Olympian Games held over 2,300 years ago in the Olympia area in Greece. Due to outbreaks of war in the region, the ancient Olympic Games ended in 393 AD.
Then, over 1,500 years later, in 1896, following the proposal from a French educator, Baron Pierre de Coubertin to the international congress in Paris in 1894, the first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens, Greece.
The modern Olympic Games now comprise of:
- Olympic Games (OG)
- Olympic Winter Games (OWG)
- Youth Olympic Games (YOG)
- Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG)
Until 1992, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games were held in the same year but since 1994, have alternated between a summer and winter edition every two years within the four-year period of each Olympiad.
For a beginner’s guide to the Olympic Games, click here.
The first edition of the modern Olympic Games held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was staged in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Since then, the Games which is also known as the Games of the Olympiad is held once every four years except in 1916, 1940 and 1944 where the Games were cancelled due to the First and Second World Wars respectively.
Meanwhile, the XXXII Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 first scheduled for 24 July – 9 August 2020 was postponed to 23 July – 8 August 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council in 1953 and its subsequent recognition by the IOC in 1954, some Malayans may have participated in the Olympic Games, representing their countries of origin, such as China and India. After receiving the recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1954, the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council, as it was then known, sent a contingent of 33 athletes from 6 sports to participate in the Olympic Games in 1956 in Melbourne.
Since then, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, as it is known since 1964, has been participating in all the Olympic Games, except the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Our athletes have won a total of eleven (11) Olympic medals, with badminton being the biggest contributor (8), followed by diving (2) and cycling (1). The eleven medals consist of 7 silver medals and 4 bronze medals.
The first Olympic medal for Malaysia was won a bronze medal in Badminton, in the Men’s Doubles event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, through brothers Razif and Jalani Sidek.
For a summary of medals won by Malaysians, click here.
The most successful Malaysian Olympian by medals won is Datuk Wira Lee Chong Wei (Badminton) with 3 silver medals. With appearances at the five (5) Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020), Leong Mun Yee (Diving) holds the record for the greatest number of appearances at the Olympic Games.
For a summary of Malaysians who have participated in the Summer Olympic Games, click here.
The first edition of the Winter Olympic Games was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Since 1994, the Olympic Games have alternated between a summer and winter edition every two years within the four-year period of each Olympiad.
Malaysia first competed at the Winter Olympic Games in the 2018 edition in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Malaysian contingent in 2018 consisted of two athletes (1 Alpine skier and 1 figure skater).
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event organised every four (4) years by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for athletes aged between 14 to 18 years old.
The YOG comprise of:
- The Summer Youth Olympic Games;
- The Winter Youth Olympic Games.
The first edition of the Youth Summer Olympic Games was held in Singapore from 14-26 August 2010. The 2022 edition of the Youth Summer Olympic Games which was due in Dakar, Senegal, had to be postponed to the year 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event organised every four (4) years by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for athletes aged between 14 to 18 years old.
The YOG comprise of:
- The Summer Youth Olympic Games;
- The Winter Youth Olympic Games.
The first winter edition was held in Innsbruck, Austria from 13 – 22 January 2012. Malaysia made its maiden appearance at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Figure skater Chew Kai Xiang was the sole Malaysian representative in Lillehammer, Norway. Four years later in Lausanne, Switzerland, Malaysia was represented by Sean Yeo and Dione Tan – both competing in short track speed skating.
Previous Olympic Games Medal Tally
Year 1956 to 1988, 2000 and 2004 Malaysian Olympic athletes did not win any medal from previous games.
XXV Olympic Games 1992 in Barcelona
– Brother Razif Sidek and Jalani Sidek won Malaysia’s first Olympic medal, when they won the bronze medal in the Men’s Badminton Doubles.
XXVI Olympic Games 1996 in Atlanta
– Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock won Malaysia’s second Olympic medal, when they won the silver medal in the Men’s Badminton Doubles event. Rashid Sidek emulated the feat of his elder brothers four years earlier when he won the bronze medal in the Men’s Badminton Singles event.
XXIX Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing
– Lee Chong Wei won Malaysia’s fourth Olympic medal, when he won the silver medal in the Men’s Badminton Singles event.
XXX Olympic Games 2012 in London
– Lee Chong Wei won Malaysia’s fifth Olympic medal, when he won the silver medal in the Men’s Badminton Singles event. Pandelela Rinong Pamg won Malaysia’s sixth Olympic medal, when she won the bronze medal in the Women’s 10m Platform diving.
XXXI Olympic Games 2016 in Rio
– Lee Chong Wei won Malaysia’s seventh Olympic medal, when he won the silver medal in the Men’s Badminton Singles event for his last appearence in Olympics.
– Pandelela Rinong and Jun Hoong won Malaysia’s eight Olympic medal, when they won the silver medal in the Women’s Synchronised 10m Platform.
– Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying delivered the ninth Olympic medal for Malaysia as they won the silver medal in the Badminton Mixed Doubles.
– Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong won Malaysia’s tenth Olympic Medal when they won the silver medal in the Men’s Badminton Doubles event.
– Azizulhasni Awang won Malaysia’s eleventh Olympic medal as he won the bronze medal for the Men’s Keirin Cycling event.
| Year | Host | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|
2021 |
Tokyo, Japan |
– |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
2016 |
Rio de Janerio, Brazil |
– |
3 |
1 |
4 |
|
2012 |
London, Great Britain |
– |
1 | 1 |
2 |
|
2008 |
Beijing, China |
– |
1 |
– |
1 |
|
2004 |
Athens, Greece |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
| 2000 |
Sydney, Australia |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1996 |
Atlanta, Georgia |
– |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
1992 |
Barcelona, Spain |
– |
– |
1 |
1 |
|
1988 |
Seoul, South Korea |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1984 |
Los Angeles, USA |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1980 |
Moscow, Russia |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1976 |
Montreal, Canada |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1972 |
Munich, Germany |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1968 |
Mexico City, Mexico |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1964 |
Tokyo, Japan |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
|
1960 |
Rome, Italy |
– | – |
– |
0 |
|
1956 |
Melbourne, Australia / Stockholm, Sweden |
– |
– |
– |
0 |
| No. | Year | Games | City, Country | Chef de Mission |
| 1 | 1896 | I Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | Did Not Participate |
| 2 | 1900 | II Olympic Games | Paris, France | Did Not Participate |
| 3 | 1904 | III Olympic Games | St. Louis, USA | Did Not Participate |
| 4 | 1908 | IV Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | Did Not Participate |
| 5 | 1912 | V Olympic Games | Stockholm, Sweden | Did Not Participate |
| 6 | 1916 | VI Olympic Games (cancelled) | Berlin, Germany | Did Not Participate |
| 7 | 1920 | VII Olympic Games | Antwerp, Belgium | Did Not Participate |
| 8 | 1924 | VIII Olympic Games | Paris, France | Did Not Participate |
| 9 | 1928 | IX Olympic Games | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Did Not Participate |
| 10 | 1932 | X Olympic Games | Los Angeles, USA | Did Not Participate |
| 11 | 1936 | XI Olympic Games | Berlin, Germany | Did Not Participate |
| 12 | 1940 | XII Olympic Games (cancelled) | Tokyo, Japan | Did Not Participate |
| 13 | 1944 | XIII Olympic Games (cancelled) | London, Great Britain | Did Not Participate |
| 14 | 1948 | XIV Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | Did Not Participate |
| 15 | 1952 | XV Olympic Games | Helsinki, Finland | Did Not Participate |
| 16 | 1956 | XVI Olympic Games | Melbourne, Australia /
Stockholm, Sweden |
Herman Marie de Souza |
| 17 | 1960 | XVII Olympic Games | Rome, Italy | Lim Kee Seong |
| 18 | 1964 | XVIII Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | Dato’ Donald Stephens |
| 19 | 1968 | XIX Olympic Games | Mexico City, Mexico | Khaw Kai Boh |
| 20 | 1972 | XX Olympic Games | Munich, Germany | Dato’ Hj Harun Idris |
| 21 | 1976 | XXI Olympic Games | Montreal, Canada | YM Raja Tan Sri Azlan Shah |
| 22 | 1980 | XXII Olympic Games | Moscow, Russia | Did Not Participate |
| 23 | 1984 | XXIII Olympic Games | Los Angeles, USA | YM Tunku Adnan bin Tunku Besar Burhanuddin |
| 24 | 1988 | XXIV Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | YAM Tunku Imran Ibni Tuanku Ja’afar |
| 25 | 1992 | XXV Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | Tan Sri Dato Elyas Omar |
| 26 | 1996 | XXVI Olympic Games | Atlanta, Georgia | Dato’ Dr Abdullah Fadzil Che Wan |
| 27 | 2000 | XXVII Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | Tan Sri P. Alagendra |
| 28 | 2004 | XXVIII Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | Datuk Dr. M. Jegathesan |
| 29 | 2008 | XXIX Olympic Games | Beijing, China | Dato’ Ho Koh Chye |
| 30 | 2012 | XXX Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid |
| 31 | 2016 | XXXI Olympic Games | Rio de Janerio, Brazil | Tan Sri Mohamed Al Amin Abdul Majid |
| 32 | 2021 | XXXII Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | Datuk Lee Chong Wei |
| 33 | 2024 | XXXIII Olympic Games | Paris, France | Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin |