In the olympic games how many athletes can each country have ?
I am curious. I was watching the opening winter games in Sochi, Russia with the parade of nations. I have a question how does each country determine the number of athletes representing their country. Is there a set number that each country can have in terms of athletes. I notice some countries only have a few (less than 10) while the United States and China have the most athletes over 150. Does the olympic charter document state how many athletes each country can have ?
James2014-02-08T11:27:50Z
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The number of athletes a country has depends on the sports in which they compete and how many athletes they qualify:
- The IOC determines the maximum total number of athletes that can compete in each sport (158 in figure skating, 252 in snowboarding, 12 men's hockey teams, 8 women's hockey team, etc.). This is so that the organizers know how many athletes they need to accomodate.
- Each of the sports international federations then determine the distribution of their athlete quota among the countries. This is usually based on the results of the sport's last world championship or current season's competition circuit. In some cases, an individual athlete qualifies for selection based on their performance, while in others the country can select any athlete they want to fill their quota. The federations also determine maximum number of men and wormen athletes a country can send in their sport
- The federations also determine the total number who will compete in each event and the maximum each country can enter.
- Other than the team sports and events, a number of spots are reserved for smaller countries and those without a history in the sport thus providing for the Jamaican bobsled team and the luger from Tonga,