Канада / Canada

Canadians first appeared at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games when George ORTON won the 2500m steeplechase. He also claimed the bronze in the 400m hurdles.

 At the St Louis 1904 Games, Canadian teams won four gold medals, including the men's lacrosse and football, and George LYON won the men's golf competition.

In 1908, when the Olympic Games were first held in London, Canada retained the title in men's lacrosse.

Canada's first success in ice hockey came when the competition was staged as part of the Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games.

When the sport switched to the Olympic Winter Games, Canada continued to dominate and many of the country's other successes came at Winter Games.

At the Olympic Games, Canada's best performances have mostly come in athletics and the water sports of rowing, swimming and canoe/kayak.

In 1928, high jumper Ethel CATHERWOOD became the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold.

Canada's last gold medal on the athletics track came in Atlanta in 1996 when Donovan BAILEY won the men's 100m in a world record 9.84 seconds. BAILEY then led the Canadian team to gold in the men's 4x100m relay.

Canada's most successful Olympic Games were in 1984.

 In the swimming pool they won 10 medals. Alex BAUMANN set world records in winning both men's individual medleys. The late Victor DAVIS set a world record to win the men's 200m breastroke and also collected two silver medals in Los Angeles. Anne OTTENBRITE won gold in the women's 200m breaststroke to complete a full set of medals. Diver Sylvie BERNIER won the women's springboard.

Canoeists Hugh FISHER and Alwyn MORRIS won gold in the men's 1000m kayak doubles and Larry CAIN won the men's canoe singles. The men's eight won gold in the rowing. Lori FUNG won the first gold medal to be awarded in rhythmic gymnastics to set the seal on Canada's most successful Games.

In 1988, Canadian Ben JOHNSON finished first in the men's 100m but was disqualified for a doping offence.

Elsewhere at Seoul 1988, London-born Lennox Lewis won the super heavyweight gold, defeating Riddick BOWE of the USA. Both men turned professional and later held the world heavyweight title.

Canada's Clara HUGHES has an unusual place in Olympic history as a medallist in both Summer and Winter Olympic Games. As a cyclist at the Atlanta 1996 Games, she claimed bronze medals in the road race and the time trial. She switched to speed skating, won gold over 5000m at the Salt Lake City 2002 Games, and then a gold and silver at the Turin 2006 Games. Her feat has been matched only by Eddie EAGAN, Jacob TULLIN THAMS and Christa LUDING-ROTHENBURGER.

At the Beijng 2008 Games, 61-year-old Ian MILLAR took silver in the team showjumping. He was competing in his ninth Olympic Games.

Montreal hosted the Olympic Games of 1976. Calgary (1988) and Vancouver (2010) have both staged the Winter Olympic Games.