10 biggest contingents at the Paris Olympics 2024 ft Team USA
The Paris Olympics will bring together the world's best athletes to compete for gold in the 2024 edition of the quadrennial Games. This edition of the Summer Games is poised to showcase a vibrant array of sports, culture, and unity, as athletes from across the globe gather to compete for the highest honors in their respective disciplines.
While there will be a total of around 10,000 athletes looking to get glory for their country, there is a wide range in the number of athletes that are part of each contingent. Team USA is the largest contingent with 593 athletes, while Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, and Somalia have sent just one athlete each to Paris.
Here’s a detailed look at the ten largest contingents at the 2024 Olympic Games:
A Closer Look at the Largest National Teams at the Paris Olympics
10. Canada
Number of Athletes: 318
Canada will be represented by 318 athletes, with strengths in athletics, swimming, and team sports such as basketball and soccer. Canadian athletes are known for their competitive spirit and dedication, often delivering impressive performances on the world stage.
Standout athletes like sprinter Andre De Grasse, swimmer Penny Oleksiak, and decathlon Olympic record-holder Damian Warner will be among the Canadian contingent striving for gold at the 2024 Olympic Games. The Canadian team has a combined 15 Olympic medals and 36 World Athletics Championships or World Athletics Relays medals between them.
9. Great Britain
Number of Athletes: 327
Team GB will bring 327 athletes to the Paris Olympics, with notable strengths in cycling, rowing, and athletics. Fourth in the overall medal tally and the gold medal tally at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Britain will hope to go higher this year and find a place among the top three nations this year.
Some key names at this year's Games are cyclist Laura Kenny and track star Dina Asher-Smith. Adam Peaty will hope to reconquer the swimming arena as he looks to become the first swimmer since the great Michael Phelps to win a third successive Olympic gold in a single event. Peaty will be looking to do so in the men's 100m breaststroke.
8. Spain
Number of Athletes: 382
Spain will be represented by 382 athletes, with strengths in sports such as basketball, tennis, and football. At the 2020 Toky Games, Spain won 3 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze medals.
The reigning men's French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will be competing for singles gold as well as the doubles, the latter in a hotly anticipated team-up with the most successful player at Rolland Garros, Rafael Nadal. The men's football team will also look to make it two golds in the same summer, having won the Euro Championship in Germany.
7. China
Number of Athletes: 388
China will be a formidable presence at the Paris Olympics, with 388 athletes. With a history of Olympic success in gymnastics, diving, and table tennis, among others, Chinese athletes will be looking to carry on their nation's dominance at the Olympics.
China was second in the final medal tally at the 2020 Games, with 89 medals, including 38 golds. Women's shot put Olympic champion Gong Lijiao, diver Cao Yuan who is competing at his fifth Olympics, and table tennis icon Ma Long are just some of the names expected to shine at the 2024 Games.
6. Italy
Number of Athletes: 403
Italy brings a team of 403 athletes to Paris, with notable strengths in fencing, swimming, and athletics. With 40 medals at the 2020 Games, including 10 gold medals, the Italian contingent will be looking forward to a successful Olympics with reasonable hopes.
Men's high jump Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi, the reigning men's volleyball world champions, and women's French Open and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini are some of the names who will be looking for Olympic gold at the 2024 Games.
5. Japan
Number of Athletes: 403
Following their successful hosting of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Japan fields a large contingent of 403 athletes. Japan was third on the gold medal tally at their hosted Games, with 27 golds in a total of 58 medals. This was their highest gold-metal haul at an Olympic Games.
Surfer Shino Matsuda, two-time world champion fencer Misaki Emura, and judoka Tatsuru Saito—son of double Olympic champion Hitoshi Saito—will be looking to continue the frequent trips for the Japanese athletes to the top of the podium established 4 years ago.
4. Germany
Number of Athletes: 428
Germany won 37 medals at the last Olympic Games, including 10 gold medals. In the combined total across all editions of the Games, Germany stands fourth, with 770 medals and 229 gold in the Summer Olympics, including as East and West Germany.
With a contingent of 428 athletes at the Paris Games, Germany will be looking to win medals across different sports, bolstered by the presence of Olympic champions such as long-distance swimmer Florian Wellbrock, judoka Anna-Maria Wagner, and diver Lena Hentschel.
3. Australia
Number of Athletes: 460
Australia, with scores of medals in sports such as swimming, rugby, and hockey, has sent 460 athletes to the Paris Olympics 2024. With 46 medals, including 17 gold, Australia were sixth in the medal tally at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and have secured a medal in all 29 editions of the Olympics.
The men's basketball team won bronze at the Tokyo Games, and as the first nation from outside the Americas and Europe to win a medal in men's basketball, will be hoping to improve on their finish this time around. Canoeist Jessica Fox and swimmer Ariarne Titmus, both Olympic champions, along with men's Diamond League discus throw champion Matthew Denny will be looking to maintain Australia's proud Olympic record.
2. France
Number of Athletes: 573
As the host nation, France will have a significant presence with 573 athletes. French competitors are expected to excel in fencing, handball, rugby, and cycling. Athletes like foil fencer Ysaora Thibus and handball player Nikola Karabatić are among the favorites to win medals.
Finding the right balance between home advantage and the support of crowds on the one hand and the pressure to perform well on the other will be key to French athletes' success at their hosted Olympics.
1. United States of America (USA)
Number of Athletes: 592
The largest contingent at the Paris Olympics 2024 with an impressive 592 athletes, Team USA has once again brought one of the most competitive contingents at the Games. This team, though slightly smaller than their Tokyo 2020 team of 613, is still a powerhouse packed with talent. Team USA will compete in 31 of the 32 sports at this year's Olympics, with team handball being the only exception. For the fourth consecutive Summer Games, the lineup features more women than men, with a split of 314 to 278.
Expect stars like Simone Biles in gymnastics, Katie Ledecky in swimming, and track athletes such as Allyson Felix and Noah Lyles to be the center of attention throughout the games. Besides, flag-bearers LeBron James (basketball) and Coco Gauff (tennis) are global stars of the sporting world and will be wanting to prove their mettle on the Olympic stage as well.
As The Paris Olympics 2024 get underway, these ten nations will be leading the charge with their large contingents.
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