A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games. They may nominate cities within their respective areas as candidates for future Olympic Games. NOCs also promote the development of athletes and training of coaches and officials at a national level within their geographies.
As of 2015, there are 206 NOCs, representing both sovereign nations and other geographical areas. All 193 member states of the United Nations have IOC-recognized National Olympic Committees, as well as 12 other territories:
- Taiwan designated as Chinese Taipei by the IOC
- Palestinian Authority, designated as Palestine by the IOC
- Four territories of the United States: American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and United States Virgin Islands (designated just Virgin Islands by the IOC)
- Three British overseas territories: Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, and Cayman Islands
- One territory from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean: Aruba. The Netherlands Antilles lost its status in July 2011 as a result of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.[1][2]
- Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
- Cook Islands, an associated state of New Zealand
The NOCs are all members of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), which is also split among five continental associations:
| Continent | Association | NOCs | Oldest NOC | Newest NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Africa | Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa | 54 | Egypt (1910) | South Sudan (2015) |
| America | Pan American Sports Organization | 41 | United States (1894) | Dominica (1993) Saint Kitts and Nevis (1993) Saint Lucia (1993) | |
| Asia | Olympic Council of Asia | 44[3] | Japan, Philippines (1912) | Timor-Leste (2003) | |
| Europe | European Olympic Committees | 50 | France (1894) | Kosovo (2014) | |
| Oceania | Oceania National Olympic Committees | 17 | Australia (1895) | Tuvalu (2007) | |
See the article for each continental association for the complete lists of all NOCs.
List of NOCs by recognition date[]
Below is a chronological list of the 206 NOCs recognized by the International Olympic Committee, since its foundation in 1894. Many of these committees were founded many years before their official recognition, while others were immediately accepted after being founded. Former states, nowadays non-existent (e.g. Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands Antilles, etc.), are not listed, only the current states derived from them (f.i. the Czech Olympic Committee representing Bohemia was created and recognized in 1899 already, later transformed into the Czechoslovak Olympic Committee and after the split of Czechoslovakia recognized again in 1993).
See also[]
References[]
- National Olympic Committees. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- Association of National Olympic Committees website
- ↑ Executive Board concludes first meeting of the new year. olympic.org ("Official website of the Olympic movement") (13 January 2011). Retrieved on 13 January 2011.
- ↑ Curtain comes down on 123rd IOC Session.
- ↑ The OCA includes 45 NOCs; the Macau Sports and Olympic Committee is not recognized by the IOC and Macau does not compete at the Olympic Games.
- ↑ The Olympic Committee of Serbia