Olympics remain the most prestigious sporting event on the planet but which African nations have won the most medals at the Games?
Olympics Games are considered the world’s most famous sporting competition with over 200 countries participating with 329 events in 32 sports (48 disciplines) as per the 2024 edition.
African countries have greatly contributed to the Olympics movement with wins recorded across multiple disciplines over the years.
Olympics is seen as the Holy Grail for many athletes as the title ‘Olympian’ carries a lot of weight and its prestige is unmatched.
That is why athletes strive to qualify for the Olympics and it does not matter whether they win a medal or not, as making an appearance at the Games can be life-changing.
It gets even better when one wins an Olympics medal as their appearance fees go over the roof while they are able to negotiate big-money endorsement deals.
It is why in Kenya, a lot of marathon runners snub the World Championships but fight tooth and nail to make the Olympics team as the incentives from the Games are many.
African countries are known for their incredible talents in long and middle distance races, which have won the bulk of the medals from the continent, but there are also other sports like boxing, swimming, cycling, weightlifting among others that have brought in medals.
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Pulse Sports explores the top five African countries that have won the highest Olympics medals so far.
Top 5 African countries that have won highest Olympics medals so far
Kenya
Faith Kipyegon is the most successful Kenyan Olympian. Photo/Imago
Kenya remains the most successful African country at the Olympics thanks to its prowess in athletics.
Team Kenya has won a total of 124 medals since their first Olympics appearance in 1956, with 39 of them gold, 44 silver and 42 bronze.
They have been at the 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 editions with varying success.
Of the 16 editions, Beijing 2008 remains their most successful, when they won 16 medals (six gold, four silver and six bronze) from a contingent of 48 athletes to rank 13th overall.
Athletics has won the bulk of Kenya’s medals, being 117 (38 gold, 43 silver and 36 bronze) with boxing contributing seven (one gold and a silver as well as five bronze), although the last medal from the sport was at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Three-time Olympics 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon is the most successful with four medals, adding a silver to it, followed by the legendary Kipchoge Keino, also with four (two gold and as many silver).
Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge (two golds, a silver and bronze) while Vivian Cheruiyot also has four (one gold, two silver and a bronze).
South Africa
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Caster Semenya is among South Africa’s Olympics gold medalists. Photo/Imago
South Africa is the second most successful African country at the Olympics with 95 medals in total being; 28 gold, 36 silver and 31 bronze.
The Rainbow Nation would perhaps be top of the list had they not been excluded from seven straight editions between 1964 and 1988 due to Apartheid but have done well since their return in 1992.
Before their exclusion, South Africa had been at the 1904, 1908, 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964, returning in 1992 up to 2024 uninterrupted.
Unlike Kenya, South Africa’s medals are distributed across different sports but athletics still leads with 30, swimming 22, boxing 19, cycling nine, six from tennis, three from rowing, two from sevens rugby and one each from shooting, surfing, canoeing and triathlon.
Ethiopia
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Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele is the leading Olympian in the country. Photo/Imago
Another country known to produce world class runners, Ethiopia is third on the list with a total of 62 medals, 24 gold, 15 silver and 23 bronze.
Ethiopia made their Olympics bow in 1956 in Melbourne and went uninterrupted until 1972, missing the 1972 edition over civil strife, returned in 1980, but absent again in 1984 and 1988, before an uninterrupted spell from 1992-2024.
All of Ethiopia’s 62 medals have come from athletics, thanks to the country’s prowess in long and middle distance, with legendary Kenenisa Bekele with four (three gold and one silver) while Tirunesh Dibaba has six (three gold and as many bronze).
Egypt
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Karam Gaber (in blue) has previously won Olympics gold for Egypt. Photo/Imago
North African countries have also brought Olympics glory to the continent with Egypt the fourth most successful African nation after winning 41 medals, nine gold, 12 silver and 20 bronze.
Egypt has been to the Olympics since 1912, going four straight editions, before missing the 1932 Games in protest of the tripartite Israeli, British and French invasion of Egypt in the Suez War, and resumed in 1936, going until 1976.
They missed the 1980 edition in Moscow, joining the broad African boycott in response to the participation of New Zealand, which still had sporting links with apartheid South Africa, returning in 1984 and have been there since.
The Bulk of Egypt’s medals have come from weightlifting, 15 in total, wrestling bringing eight, taekwondo and boxing four each, and two a piece from judo, fencing, karate, diving and modern pentathlon.
Morocco
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Steeplachase king Soufiane El Bakkali is a two-time Olympics gold medalist from Morocco. Photo/Imago
Another North African nation, Morocco completes the list of top five African countries that have won the highest Olympics medals so far.
Morocco has 26 Olympics medals which include eight gold, five silver and 13 bronze, starting from the 1960 Games when they went five straight editions, before joining the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Morocco returned in 1984 and have been at the Olympics since with nearly all of their medals coming from athletics, which has won 21 (eight gold, five silver and eight bronze) while boxing has contributed four bronze and one such medal from football.
