A small fraction of the world's population ever competes at the Olympic Games; an even smaller fraction ever competes in multiple Games. 515 athletes (127 women, 388 men) have participated in at least five Olympics from Athens 1896 to Beijing 2022, but excluding the 1906 Intercalated Games. Just over a hundred of these have gone on to make at least a sixth Olympic appearance.
Several athletes would have made more appearances at the Olympics but for reasons out of their control, such as World Wars (no Olympics were held in 1916, 1940 or 1944), politically motivated boycotts, financial difficulties, or ill-timed injuries.
Canadian equestrian athlete Ian Millar has competed at ten Olympic games.[1] Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl and Latvian shooter Afanasijs Kuzmins (representing Soviet Union until 1988) have each made nine Olympic appearances.
Well over half of six-time Olympians belong to the shooting, equestrian, sailing and fencing disciplines, which are known for allowing athletes more longevity at the elite level. Athletics and cross-country skiing also provide a large number of athletes who have competed at five Olympics.
| Exact number of Olympic appearances | Minimum number of Olympic appearances | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| Men | 293 | 74 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 388 | 95 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 1 | |
| Women | 106 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 158 | 52 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 399 | 112 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 544 | 145 | 35 | 18 | 4 | 1 | |
|
This table shows the number of athletes who have appeared at exactly (or at least) n Olympic Games between 1896 and 2016, as n varies from 5 to 10. For example, 13 men have appeared at exactly seven Olympics while 21 men have appeared in at least seven Olympics. Appearances at the 1906 Intercalated Games are not included. Winter and Summer Olympics are counted as 'different' Olympics even if they occurred in the same year. While these numbers are believed to be correct, it is possible that one or two athletes have been missed, particularly with five-time Olympians. | |||||||||||||
Approximately a quarter of long-competing athletes are female. Italian canoeist Josefa Idem became the first woman to take part in eight Olympics, eventually reaching the final of the K1-500m event at the age of 48.[2] Before her, the closest a female athlete had come to competing at eight Olympics was 0.028 seconds, which was the time by which Jamaican-Slovenian sprinter Merlene Ottey had failed to meet the qualification time required for appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics, at age 48. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Georgian sports shooter Nino Salukvadze competed in her ninth consecutive Olympic Games at age 52, becoming the first female athlete in history to do so.[3]
Four six-time Olympians here have participated in Olympic Games over a period of 40 years: Bahamian sailor Durward Knowles (8 Olympics), Danish sailor Paul Elvstrøm (8), Danish fencer Ivan Osiier (7), and Norwegian sailor Magnus Konow (6). Note should also be made of Japanese equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu, whose first and third Olympic appearances in 1964 and 2012 were 48 years apart. Eight-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina competed in artistic gymnastics at every Olympics from 1992-2020. She continues to compete in her early 40s in a sport where few competitors continue past their mid-20s or compete at two or three Olympics.
Two five-time Olympians competed under four different flags at the Olympics, one of whom never actually changed nationality. Both shooter Jasna Šekarić (6 Olympics) and table tennis player Ilija Lupulesku (5) competed for Yugoslavia at the 1988 Olympics. In 1992, since Yugoslavia was under UN sanctions, they (and fifty other Serbians, Montenegrins and Macedonians) competed as Independent Olympic Participants before competing at the next Olympics under the flag of Serbia and Montenegro. Lupulesku became an American citizen and competed for the USA in 2004, while Šekarić finally competed for Serbia in 2008.
Fourteen five-time Olympians have won at least eight medals: American swimmer Michael Phelps (28), Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen (15), Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen (13), Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti (13), German kayaker Birgit Fischer (12), American swimmer Dara Torres (12), Hungarian fencer Aladár Gerevich (10), Finnish gymnast Heikki Savolainen (9), Jamaican-Slovenian sprinter Merlene Ottey (9), German speed skater Claudia Pechstein (9), Romanian rower Elisabeta Oleniuc (8), German equestrian Reiner Klimke (8), Italian fencer Giovanna Trillini (8), Dutch equestrian Anky van Grunsven (8), and Russian diver Dmitri Sautin (8).
About thirty athletes who have competed in at least five Olympics participated in two sports, with nearly half of them competing at both the Winter and Summer Olympics. The most common cross-over sports are biathlon/cross-country skiing (six athletes competed in both), athletics/bobsleigh (five competitors), and cycling/speed skating (five competitors).
Married couples among five-time Olympians include biathletes Ole Einar Bjørndalen (Norway) and Nathalie Santer-Bjørndalen (Italy/Belgium), Lithuanian pairs figure skaters Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Finnish cross-country skiers Harri Kirvesniemi and Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi-Hämäläinen, lugers Susi Erdmann (Germany) and Gerhard Plankensteiner (Italy).
Familial relationships among five-time Olympians include Belgian shooters François Lafortune Sr and Jr (father-son; with their brothers/uncles, they have seventeen Olympic appearances between them), Italian equestrians Piero and Raimondo d'Inzeo (brothers), British canoeists Andrew and Stephen Train (brothers), Greek shooters Alexandros and Ioannis Theofilakis (brothers), Italian cross-country skiers Sabina and Fulvio Valbusa (sister-brother), Brazilian equestrians Nelson and Rodrigo Pessoa (father-son), Austrian lugers Markus and Tobias Schiegl (cousins). A more tenuous relationship is that of Argentine sailors Jorge Salas Chávez and Roberto Sieburger; Chávez's cousin Jorge del Río Salas (4 Olympics) married Sieburger's cousin Marylin Sieburger. (The extended Sieburger-Salas clan includes seven Argentinian sailors with twenty Olympic appearances.)
So far, there have been 182 athletes who have appeared at Olympic Games at least six times. 51 of them have never won an Olympic medal. Athletes in bold are believed to be still active i.e. have yet to announce their retirement. Female athletes are displayed with a pink background. Sorting is by number of appearances, date of last appearance, date of birth.
| App. | Athlete | Nation | Birth/Death | Games | Period (age of first/last) |
Sport |  |
 |
 |
Tot. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ian Millar |  Canada
|
1947 | 1972-1976, 1984-2012 | 40 years (25/65) | Equestrian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Hubert Raudaschl |  Austria
|
1942 | 1964-1996 | 32 years (22/54) | Sailing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Afanasijs Kuzmins |  Soviet Union (3) and  Latvia (6)
|
1947 | 1976-1980, 1988-2012 | 36 years (29/65) | Shooting | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Nino Salukvadze | Soviet Union (1),   Georgia (7)
|
1969 | 1988-2020 | 33 years (19/52) | Shooting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 8 | Piero d'Inzeo |  Italy
|
1923-2014 | 1948-1976 | 28 years (25/53) | Equestrian | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Raimondo d'Inzeo | Italy
|
1925-2013 | 1948-1976 | 28 years (23/51) | Equestrian | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Durward Knowles |  Great Britain (1) and  Bahamas (7)
|
1917-2018 | 1948-1972, 1988 | 40 years (31/71) | Sailing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Paul Elvstrøm |  Denmark
|
1928-2016 | 1948-1960, 1968-1972, 1984-1988 | 40 years (20/60) | Sailing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rajmond Debevec |  Yugoslavia (2) and  Slovenia (6)
|
1963 | 1984-2012 | 28 years (21/49) | Shooting | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| Josefa Idem Guerrini |  West Germany (2) and Italy (6)
|
1964 | 1984-2012 | 28 years (20/48) | Canoeing | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| Francisco Boza |  Peru
|
1964 | 1980-2004, 2016 | 36 years (15/51) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Lesley Thompson | Canada
|
1959 | 1984-2000, 2008-2016 | 32 years (24/56) | Rowing | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| Noriaki Kasai |  Japan
|
1972 | 1992-2018 | 26 years (19/45) | Ski jumping | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Andrew Hoy |  Australia
|
1959 | 1984-2004, 2012, 2020 | 37 years (25/62) | Equestrian | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| Oksana Chusovitina |  Uzbekistan (5) and Germany (2)
|
1975 | 1992-2020 | 29 years (17/46) | Gymnastics | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Jesús Ángel García Bragado |  Spain
|
1969 | 1992-2020 | 29 years (22/51) | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Claudia Pechstein | Germany
|
1972 | 1992-2006, 2014-2022 | 30 years (19/49) | Speed skating | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |
| Jaqueline Mourão |  Brazil
|
1975 | 2004-2008, 2020 (S) + 2006-2022 (W)[4] | 18 years (28/46) | Cycling (3), cross-country skiing (5) and biathlon (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Ivan Osiier | Denmark
|
1888-1965 | 1908-1912, 1920-1932, 1948 | 40 years (20/60) | Fencing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Santiago Lange |  Argentina
|
1961 | 1988-2008, 2016, 2020 | 33 years (27/59) | Sailing | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| Olaf Tufte |  Norway
|
1976 | 1996-2020 | 25 years (20/45) | Rowing | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| François Lafortune, Jr |  Belgium
|
1932-2020 | 1952-1976 | 24 years (20/44) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kerstin Palm |  Sweden
|
1946 | 1964-1988 | 24 years (18/42) | Fencing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| John Michael Plumb |  USA
|
1940 | 1964-1976, 1984-1992 | 28 years (24/52) | Equestrian | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| Ragnar Skanåker | Sweden
|
1934 | 1972-1996 | 24 years (38/62) | Shooting | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| Seiko Hashimoto | Japan
|
1964 | 1984-1994 (W) + 1988-1996 (S)[4] | 12 years (20/32) | Speed skating (4) and cycling (3) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Merlene Ottey |  Jamaica (6) and Slovenia (1)
|
1960 | 1980-2004 | 24 years (20/44) | Athletics | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | |
| Jeannie Longo |  France
|
1958 | 1984-2008 | 24 years (26/50) | Cycling | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| Jos Lansink |  Netherlands (4) and Belgium (3)
|
1961 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (27/51) | Equestrian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ralf Schumann |  East Germany (1) and Germany (6)
|
1962 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (26/50) | Shooting | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Jasna Šekarić | Yugoslavia (1),  Independent Olympic Participants (1),  Serbia and Montenegro (3),  Serbia (2)
|
1965 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (22/46) | Shooting | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| Jörgen Persson | Sweden
|
1966 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (22/46) | Table tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Anky van Grunsven | Netherlands
|
1968 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (20/44) | Equestrian | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | |
| Zoran Primorac | Yugoslavia (1) and  Croatia (6)
|
1969 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (19/43) | Table tennis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Jean-Michel Saive | Belgium
|
1969 | 1988-2012 | 24 years (18/42) | Table tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Albert Demtschenko |  Russia (6)
|
1971 | 1992-2014 | 22 years (19/41) | Luge | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Mark Todd |  New Zealand
|
1956 | 1984-1992, 2000, 2008-2016 | 32 years (28/60) | Equestrian | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Nick Skelton |  United Kingdom
|
1957 | 1988-1996, 2004-2016 | 28 years (30/58) | Equestrian | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Ludger Beerbaum | West Germany (1) and Germany (6)
|
1963 | 1988-2008, 2016 | 28 years (25/52) | Equestrian | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén | Sweden
|
1967 | 1992-2016 | 24 years (25/49) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Giovanni Pellielo | Italy
|
1970 | 1992-2016 | 24 years (22/46) | Shooting | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| João Rodrigues |  Portugal
|
1971 | 1992-2016 | 24 years (20/44) | Sailing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ekaterina Karsten |  Belarus (6)
|
1972 | 1992-2016 | 24 years (20/44) | Rowing | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| Leander Paes |  India
|
1973 | 1992-2016 | 24 years (19/43) | Tennis | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Segun Toriola |  Nigeria
|
1974 | 1992-2016 | 24 years (17/41) | Table tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sergei Dolidovich | Belarus
|
1973 | 1994-2018 | 24 years (20/44) | Cross-country skiing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Janne Ahonen |  Finland
|
1977 | 1994-2018 | 24 years (16/40) | Ski jumping | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Robert Scheidt | Brazil
|
1973 | 1996-2020 | 25 years (23/48) | Sailing | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| Formiga | Brazil
|
1978 | 1996-2020 | 25 years (18/43) | Football | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Rodrigo Pessoa | Brazil
|
1972 | 1992-2020 | 29 years (19/48) | Equestrian | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| Simon Ammann |  Switzerland
|
1981 | 1998-2022 | 24 years (16/40) | Ski jumping | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6 | Magnus Konow | Norway
|
1887-1972 | 1908-1912, 1920, 1928, 1936-1948 | 40 years (21/61) | Sailing | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Norman Armitage | USA
|
1907-1972 | 1928-1956 | 28 years (21/49) | Fencing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Aladár Gerevich |  Hungary
|
1910-1991 | 1932-1960 | 28 years (22/50) | Fencing | 7 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |
| Fernanda Oliveira | BRA
|
1980 | 2000-2021 | 21 years (20/41) | Sailing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Janice York Romary | USA
|
1927-2007 | 1948-1968 | 20 years (19/39) | Fencing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lia Manoliu |  Romania
|
1932-1998 | 1952-1972 | 20 years (20/40) | Athletics | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jerzy Pawłowski |  Poland
|
1932-2005 | 1952-1972 | 20 years (20/40) | Fencing | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| William McMillan | USA
|
1929-2000 | 1952, 1960-1976 | 20 years (27/47) | Shooting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Hans Günter Winkler | Germany (3) and West Germany (3)
|
1926-2018 | 1956-1976 | 20 years (20/40) | Equestrian | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Adam Smelczyński | Poland
|
1930-2021 | 1956-1976 | 20 years (26/45) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Bill Hoskyns | Great Britain
|
1931-2013 | 1956-1976 | 20 years (25/45) | Fencing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Frank Chapot | USA
|
1932-2016 | 1956-1976 | 20 years (24/44) | Equestrian | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Jim Elder | Canada
|
1934 | 1956-1960, 1968-1976, 1984 | 28 years (22/50) | Equestrian | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| Hans Fogh | Denmark (4) and Canada (2)
|
1938-2014 | 1960-1976, 1984 | 24 years (22/46) | Sailing | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Carl-Erik Eriksson | Sweden
|
1930 | 1964-1984 | 20 years (34/54) | Bobsleigh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Reiner Klimke | Germany (2) and West Germany (4)
|
1936-1999 | 1960-1976, 1984-1988 | 28 years (24/52) | Equestrian | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| Colin Coates | Australia
|
1946 | 1968-1988 | 20 years (18/38) | Speed skating | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Christilot Hanson-Boylen | Canada
|
1947 | 1964-1976, 1984, 1992 | 28 years (17/45) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| John Primrose | Canada
|
1942 | 1968-1976, 1984-1992 | 24 years (26/50) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jiří Pták |  Czechoslovakia
|
1946 | 1968-1980, 1988-1992 | 24 years (22/46) | Rowing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alfred Eder | Austria
|
1953 | 1976-1994 | 18 years (23/41) | Biathlon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi-Hämäläinen | Finland
|
1955 | 1976-1994 | 18 years (21/39) | Cross-country skiing | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | |
| Hugo Simon | Austria
|
1942 | 1972-1976, 1984-1996 | 24 years (30/53) | Equestrian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Luis Álvarez de Cervera | Spain
|
1947 | 1972-1976, 1984-1996 | 24 years (25/49) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eric Swinkels | Netherlands
|
1949 | 1972-1976, 1984-1996 | 24 years (23/47) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Anastasios Bountouris |  Greece
|
1955 | 1976-1996 | 20 years (21/41) | Sailing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tessa Sanderson | Great Britain
|
1956 | 1976-1996 | 20 years (20/40) | Athletics | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| John Foster, Sr |  United States Virgin Islands
|
1938 | 1972-1976, 1984-1992 (S) + 1998 (W)[4] | 20 years (34/54) | Sailing (5) and bobsleigh (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Harri Kirvesniemi | Finland
|
1958 | 1980-1998 | 18 years (21/39) | Cross-country skiing | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| Jochen Behle | West Germany (3) and Germany (3)
|
1960 | 1980-1998 | 18 years (19/37) | Cross-country skiing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Christine Stückelberger | Switzerland
|
1947 | 1972-1976, 1984-1988, 1996-2000 | 28 years (25/53) | Equestrian | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| Nonka Matova |  Bulgaria
|
1954 | 1976-1980, 1988-2000 | 24 years (18/46) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Jochen Schümann | East Germany (3) and Germany (3)
|
1954 | 1976-1980, 1988-2000 | 24 years (18/46) | Sailing | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Juan Giha, Jr. | Peru
|
1955 | 1980-2000 | 20 years (25/45) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Philippe Boccara | France (4) and USA (2)
|
1959 | 1980-2000 | 20 years (21/41) | Canoeing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Manuel Estiarte | Spain
|
1961 | 1980-2000 | 20 years (18/38) | Water polo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Angelo Mazzoni | Italy
|
1961 | 1980-2000 | 20 years (19/39) | Fencing | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Terry McHugh |  Ireland
|
1963 | 1988-2000 (S) + 1992, 1998 (W)[4] | 12 years (25/37) | Athletics (4) and bobsleigh (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Michael Dixon | Great Britain
|
1962 | 1984-2002 | 18 years (22/40) | Cross-country skiing (1) and biathlon (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Raimo Helminen | Finland
|
1964 | 1984-2002 | 18 years (19/37) | Ice hockey | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Markus Prock | Austria
|
1964 | 1984-2002 | 18 years (19/37) | Luge | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| Emese Hunyady | Hungary (1) and Austria (5)
|
1966 | 1984-2002 | 18 years (17/35) | Speed skating | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Harald Stenvaag | Norway
|
1953 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (31/51) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Birgit Fischer | East Germany (2) and Germany (4)
|
1962 | 1980, 1988-2004 | 24 years (18/42) | Canoeing | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 | |
| Robert Dover | USA
|
1956 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (28/48) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| Colin Beashel | Australia
|
1959 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (24/44) | Sailing | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Torben Grael | Brazil
|
1960 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (24/44) | Sailing | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| Wang Yifu |  China
|
1960 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (24/44) | Shooting | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | |
| Sorin Babii | Romania
|
1963 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (20/40) | Shooting | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Elisabeta Oleniuc Lipă | Romania
|
1964 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (20/40) | Rowing | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| Agathi Kassoumi | Greece
|
1966 | 1984-2004 | 20 years (18/38) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Anne Abernathy | United States Virgin Islands
|
1953 | 1988-2006 | 18 years (34/52) | Luge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Georg Hackl | West Germany (1) and Germany (5)
|
1966 | 1988-2006 | 18 years (21/39) | Luge | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Sergei Tchepikov | Soviet Union (1), Russia (4)
|
1967 | 1988-2006 | 18 years (21/39) | Cross-country skiing (1) and biathlon (5) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | |
| Gerda Weissensteiner | Italy
|
1969 | 1988-2006 | 18 years (19/37) | Luge (4) and bobsleigh (2) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2[5] | |
| Wilfried Huber | Italy
|
1970 | 1988-2006 | 18 years (17/35) | Luge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Kateřina Neumannová | Czechoslovakia (1) and Czech Republic (5)
|
1973 | 1992-2006 (W) + 1996 (S)[4] | 14 years (18/32) | Cross-country skiing (5) and cycling (1) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | |
| Susan Nattrass | Canada
|
1950 | 1976, 1988-1992, 2000-2008 | 32 years (25/57) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kyra Kyrklund | Finland
|
1951 | 1980-1996, 2008 | 28 years (29/57) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ilario Di Buò | Italy
|
1956 | 1984-1992, 2000-2008 | 24 years (27/51) | Archery | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Juan Esteban Curuchet | Argentina
|
1965 | 1984-1988, 1996-2008 | 24 years (19/43) | Cycling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Andrea Benelli | Italy
|
1960 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (28/48) | Shooting | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Juha Hirvi | Finland
|
1960 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (28/48) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tanyu Kiryakov | Bulgaria
|
1963 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (25/45) | Shooting | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Fabienne Diato-Pasetti |  Monaco
|
1965 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (22/42) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jüri Jaanson | Soviet Union (1) and  Estonia (5)
|
1965 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (22/42) | Rowing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| James Tomkins | Australia
|
1965 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (23/42) | Rowing | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Václav Chalupa | Czechoslovakia (2) and Czech Republic (4)
|
1967 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (20/40) | Rowing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| João N'Tyamba |  Angola
|
1968 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (20/40) | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maria Mutola |  Mozambique
|
1972 | 1988-2008 | 20 years (15/35) | Athletics | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ilmārs Bricis | Latvia
|
1970 | 1992-2010 | 18 years (21/39) | Biathlon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marco Büchel |  Liechtenstein
|
1971 | 1992-2010 | 18 years (20/38) | Alpine skiing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Andrus Veerpalu | Estonia
|
1971 | 1992-2010 | 18 years (21/39) | Cross-country skiing | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Anna Orlova | Latvia
|
1972 | 1992-2010 | 18 years (19/37) | Luge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Evgeniya Radanova | Bulgaria
|
1977 | 1994-2010 (W) + 2004 (S)[4] | 16 years (16/32) | Speed skating (5) and cycling (1) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Andrew Nicholson | New Zealand
|
1961 | 1984, 1992-1996, 2004-2012 | 28 years (23/51) | Equestrian | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Russell Mark | Australia
|
1964 | 1988-2000, 2008-2012 | 24 years (24/48) | Shooting | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Sergey Martynov | Soviet Union (1) and Belarus (5)
|
1968 | 1988, 1996-2012 | 24 years (20/42) | Shooting | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| Štěpánka Hilgertová | Czechoslovakia (1) and Czech Republic (5)
|
1968 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (24/44) | Canoeing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Mönkhbayar Dorjsurengiin |  Mongolia (3) and Germany (3)
|
1969 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (23/43) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Hugo Hoyama | Brazil
|
1969 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (23/43) | Table tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fredrik Lööf | Sweden
|
1969 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (22/42) | Sailing | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| Natalia Valeeva |  Moldova (1) and Italy (4)
|
1969 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (22/42) | Archery | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Alessandra Sensini | Italy
|
1970 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (22/42) | Sailing | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Nicoleta Grădinaru-Grasu | Romania
|
1971 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (20/40) | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dragutin Topić | Independent Olympic Participants (1), Serbia and Montenegro (3) and Serbia (2)
|
1971 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (21/41) | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alison Williamson | United Kingdom
|
1971 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (20/40) | Archery | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Diamond | Australia
|
1972 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (20/40) | Shooting | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Mariya Grozdeva | Bulgaria
|
1972 | 1992-2012
2020 |
28 years (20/48) | Shooting | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | |
| Franck Dumoulin | France
|
1973 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (19/39) | Shooting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Yordan Yovchev | Bulgaria
|
1973 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (19/39) | Gymnastics | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Lars Frölander | Sweden
|
1974 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (18/38) | Swimming | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| Yevgeniya Artamonova | Russia (5)
|
1975 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (17/37) | Volleyball | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Derya Büyükuncu |  Turkey
|
1976 | 1992-2012 | 20 years (16/36) | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Clara Hughes | Canada
|
1972 | 1996-2000, 2012 (S) + 2002-2010 (W)[4] | 16 years (22/38) | Cycling (3), speed skating (3) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
| Hubertus Von Hohenlohe |  Mexico
|
1959 | 1984-2014 | 30 years (25/55) | Alpine skiing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Teemu Selänne | Finland
|
1970 | 1992, 1998-2014 | 22 years (21/43) | Ice Hockey | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Ole Einar Bjørndalen | Norway
|
1974 | 1994-2014 | 20 years (20/40) | Biathlon | 8 | 4 | 1 | 13 | |
| Armin Zöggeler | Italy
|
1974 | 1994-2014 | 20 years (20/40) | Luge | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Todd Lodwick | United States
|
1976 | 1994/2014 | 20 years (17/37) | Nordic combined | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Mario Stecher | Austria
|
1977 | 1994-2014 | 20 years (16/36) | Nordic combined | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Lee Kyou-hyuk |  South Korea
|
1978 | 1994-2014 | 20 years (15/35) | Speed skating | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hayley Wickenheiser | Canada
|
1978 | 1998-2014 (W) + 2000 (S)[4] | 16 years (19/35) | Ice Hockey (5) and softball (1) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| John Whitaker | United Kingdom
|
1955 | 1984, 1992-2000, 2008, 2016 | 32 years (29/61) | Equestrian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Emil Milev | Bulgaria (4) and United States (2)
|
1968 | 1992-2004, 2012-2016 | 24 years (24/48) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Karin Donckers | Belgium
|
1971 | 1992, 2000-2016 | 24 years (21/45) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Phillip Dutton | Australia (3) and United States (3)
|
1963 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (32/52) | Equestrian | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Lalita Yauhleuskaya | Belarus (2) and Australia (4)
|
1963 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (32/52) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Nasser Al-Attiyah |  Qatar
|
1970 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (25/45) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Daniel Nestor | Canada
|
1972 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (23/43) | Tennis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Olufunke Oshonaike |  Nigeria
|
1975 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (21/41) | Table Tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sergey Tetyukhin | Russia
|
1975 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (20/40) | Volleyball | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Kim Collins |  Saint Kitts and Nevis
|
1976 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (20/40) | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Áron Gádorfalvi | Hungary
|
1976 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (19/39) | Sailing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Aida Mohamed | Hungary
|
1976 | 1996-2021 | 25 years (20/45) | Fencing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vladimir Samsonov | Belarus
|
1976 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (20/40) | Table tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Taizo Sugitani | Japan
|
1976 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (20/40) | Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Therese Alshammar | Sweden
|
1977 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (18/38) | Swimming | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Kim Rhode | United States
|
1979 | 1996-2016 | 20 years (17/37) | Shooting | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| Shiva Keshavan |  India (5) and Independent Olympic Participants (1)
|
1981 | 1998-2018 | 20 years (16/36) | Luge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kim Hyun-ki | South Korea
|
1983 | 1998-2018 | 20 years (14/34) | Ski jumping | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hannu Manninen | Finland
|
1978 | 1994-2010, 2018 | 24 years (15/39) | Nordic combined | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alla Tsuper |  Ukraine (1) and  Belarus (5)
|
1979 | 1998-2018 | 20 years (18/38) | Freestyle skiing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Teresa Portela | Spain
|
1982 | 2000-2020 | 21 years (18/39) | Canoeing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tatiana Drozdovskaya | Belarus
|
1982 | 2000-2021 | 20 years (22/42) | Sailing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Oussama Mellouli |  Tunisia
|
1984 | 2000-2020 | 21 years (16/37) | Swimming | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ken Terauchi | Japan
|
1980 | 1996-2008, 2016-2020 | 25 years (15/40) | Diving | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Roland Fischnaller | Italy
|
1980 | 2002-2022 | 20 years (22/42) | Snowboarding | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Torger Nergård | Norway
|
1974 | 2002-2022 | 20 years (28/48) | Curling | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Marco de Nicolo | Italy
|
1976 | 2000-2020 | 20 years (22/44) | Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sarah Schleper | United States (4) and Mexico (2)
|
1979 | 1998-2022 | 24 years (19/43) | Alpine Skiing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
657 athletes have competed in at least five Olympic Games (662 if the 1906 Games are counted) between 1896 and 2022 inclusive. They are listed here, grouped by discipline. The columns labelled 'N+' denote the number of athletes who have competed in at least N Olympics. The number of male and female athletes who have competed in at least five Olympics are also listed, in the columns labelled 'M' and 'F'.
Athletes who have competed in more than one sport are counted once per sport.
The 1906 Intercalated Games are not considered 'official' Olympics, but medals were awarded.
The following athletes have appeared in at least six Olympics if 1906 is included.
| Athlete | Nation | Born/Death | Games | Period (age of 1st/last) |
Sport | |
|
|
Tot. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandros Theofilakis | Greece
|
1877/? | 1896, 1906/12, 1920/24 | 28 years (19/47) | Shooting | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ioannis Theofilakis | Greece
|
1879/? | 1896, 1906/12, 1920/24 | 28 years (17/45) | Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Adrianus de Jong | Netherlands
|
1882/1966 | 1906/12, 1920/28 | 22 years (23/45) | Fencing | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Paul Radmilovic | Great Britain
|
1886/1968 | 1906/12, 1920/28 | 22 years (20/42) | Water polo, swimming | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
The following athletes have appeared in at least five Olympics if 1906 is included. Five athletes made five Olympic appearances including the 1906 Games.
| Athlete | Nation | Born/Death | Games | Period (age of 1st/last) |
Sport | |
|
|
Tot. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladislav Žemla-Rázný |  Bohemia / Czechoslovakia
|
1887–1955 | Tennis | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Willem van Blijenburgh | Netherlands
|
1881–1936 | Fencing | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Edgar Seligman | Great Britain
|
1867–1958 | Fencing | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Jetze Doorman | Netherlands
|
1881–1931 | Fencing Pentathlon |
0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Fernand de Montigny | Belgium
|
1885–1974 | Fencing Field hockey |
0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Are so many the Olympians have competed in two or more sports. These athletes are listed below, with the number of times they competed in each sport. Sometimes they competed in two disciplines at the same Games; such instances are noted.
The most common combinations of disciplines are biathlon/cross-country skiing (six athletes competed in both; each sport is a winter sport), athletics/bobsleigh (seven competitors; summer and winter sports respectively), and cycling/speed skating (five athletes; summer and winter sports respectively).
Below is a list of athletes who participated in two or more sports. Viggo Jensen from Denmark and Carl Schuhmann from Germany are the only athletes to compete in four different sports. Sheila Taormina from USA is the only woman to have competed in three different sports.[9]
Of the athletes who participated in two or more Summer Olympics in two different sports, 29 are Swedish and 26 of them participated in the home Olympics in Stockholm 1912.
Frank Kugler[9] and Leo Goodwin are the only athletes to win medals in three different sports. They are both from USA and won medals in all three sports at home in St. Louis in 1904. Only two female athletes, the British Rebecca Romero and the East German Roswitha Krause have won medals in two different sports.[9]
The only athletes to win gold medals in two different sports at two different Olympic Games are Paul Radmilovic from Great Britain and Daniel Norling from Sweden.
Only one athlete competed in two different sports and for two different countries, the Italian-Polish Katarzyna Juszczak.
| Athlete | Country | Sports | First | Last | Tot. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Andersson | Sweden |
diving 2, swimming 3, water polo 3 | 1908 | 1920 | 3 |
| Gösta Åsbrink | Sweden |
gymnastics 1, modern pentathlon 1 | 1908 | 1912 | 2 |
| Fenella Ng |  Hong Kong |
swimming 2, rowing 1 | 1984 | 2000 | 3 |
| David Bárcena Ríos | Mexico |
equestrian 3, modern pentathlon 2 | 1964 | 1980 | 5 |
| Gérard Blitz | Belgium |
swimming 4, water polo 3 | 1920 | 1936 | 4 |
| Eric Carlberg | Sweden |
fencing 2, modern pentathlon 1, shooting 3 | 1908 | 1924 | 3 |
| Carlota Castrejana | Spain |
basketball 1, athletics 4 | 1992 | 2008 | 4 |
| Gustaf Dyrssen | Sweden |
modern pentathlon 1, fencing 3 | 1920 | 1936 | 4 |
| Edwin Flack | Australia |
tennis 1, athletics 1 | 1896 | 1896 | 1 |
| João Gonçalves Filho | Brazil |
swimming 2, water polo 3 | 1952 | 1968 | 5 |
| Conn Findlay | United States |
rowing 1, sailing 1 | 1956 | 1976 | 4 |
| Leo Goodwin | United States |
swimming 2, water polo 1 | 1904 | 1908 | 2 |
| Alfréd Hajós | Hungary |
swimming 1, art competitions 1 | 1896 | 1928 | 3 |
| Louis Handley | United States |
swimming 1, water polo 1 | 1904 | 1904 | 1 |
| Pontus Hanson | Sweden |
swimming 1, water polo 3 | 1908 | 1920 | 3 |
| Carl Hårleman | Sweden |
athletics 1, gymnastics 1 | 1908 | 1912 | 2 |
| Otto Herschmann | Austria |
swimming 1, fencing 1 | 1896 | 1912 | 2 |
| Fritz Hofmann |  German Empire |
athletics 1, gymnastics 1 | 1896 | 1896 | 1 |
| John Jarvis | United Kingdom |
swimming 2, water polo 1 | 1900 | 1908 | 2 |
| Viggo Jensen | Denmark |
athletics 1, gymnastics 1, shooting 2, weightlifting 1[10] | 1896 | 1900 | 2 |
| Greta Johansson | Sweden |
diving 1, swimming 1 | 1912 | 1912 | 1 |
| Hjalmar Johansson | Sweden |
diving 2, swimming 1, athletics 1 | 1908 | 1912 | 2 |
| Harald Julin | Sweden |
swimming 2, water polo 3 | 1908 | 1920 | 3 |
| Katarzyna Juszczak | Poland + Italy |
judo 1, wrestling 1 | 1992 | 2004 | 2 |
| Karch Kiraly | United States |
volleyball 2, beach volley 1 | 1988 | 1996 | 3 |
| Morris Kirksey | United States |
rugby 1, athletics 1 | 1920 | 1920 | 1 |
| Roswitha Krause | East Germany |
swimming 1, handball 2 | 1968 | 1980 | 3 |
| Frank Kugler | United States |
tug of war 1, weightlifting 1 , wrestling 1 | 1904 | 1904 | 1 |
| Torsten Kumfeldt | Sweden |
swimming 1, water polo 3 | 1908 | 1920 | 3 |
| Georg de Laval | Sweden |
modern pentathlon 1, shooting 1 | 1912 | 1912 | 1 |
| Gustaf Lewenhaupt | Sweden |
equestrian 1, modern pentathlon 1 | 1912 | 1912 | 1 |
| Bengt Ljungquist | Sweden |
equestrian 1, fencing 4 | 1936 | 1964 | 5 |
| Peter Macken | Australia |
fencing 1, modern pentathlon 5 | 1960 | 1976 | 5 |
| Veli Nieminen | Finland |
gymnastics 1, shooting 1 | 1908 | 1924 | 3 |
| August Nilsson | Sweden |
athletics 1, tug of war 1 | 1900 | 1900 | 1 |
| Daniel Norling | Sweden |
equestrian 1, gymnastics 2 | 1908 | 1920 | 3 |
| Wallace O'Connor | United Kingdom |
swimming 1, water polo 4 | 1924 | 1936 | 4 |
| Gösta Olson | Sweden |
fencing 1, gymnastics 1 | 1908 | 1908 | 1 |
| Nova Peris | Australia |
field hockey 1, athletics 1 | 1996 | 2000 | 2 |
| Erich Rademacher | Germany |
swimming 1, water polo 2 | 1928 | 1932 | 2 |
| Paul Radmilovic | United Kingdom |
swimming 2, water polo 5 | 1908 | 1928 | 5 |
| Aileen Riggin | United States |
diving 1, swimming 1 | 1920 | 1924 | 2 |
| Rebecca Romero | United Kingdom |
cycling 1, rowing 1 | 2004 | 2008 | 2 |
| Joe Ruddy | United States |
swimming 1, water polo 1 | 1904 | 1904 | 1 |
| Axel Runström | Sweden |
diving 2, water polo 1 | 1908 | 1912 | 2 |
| Carl Schuhmann | German Empire |
athletics 1, gymnastics 1, weightlifting 1, wrestling 1[11] | 1896 | 1896 | 1 |
| Tim Shaw | United States |
swimming 1, water polo 1 | 1976 | 1984 | 2 |
| Gustaf Söderström | Sweden |
athletics 1, tug of war 1 | 1900 | 1900 | 1 |
| Karl Staaf | Sweden |
athletics 1, tug of war 1 | 1900 | 1900 | 1 |
| Sheila Taormina | United States |
swimming 1, triathlon 2, modern pentathlon 1 | 1996 | 2008 | 4 |
| Sven Thofelt | Sweden |
fencing 3, modern pentathlon 3 | 1928 | 1948 | 4 |
| Magnus Wegelius | Finland |
gymnastics 1, shooting 1 | 1908 | 1924 | 3 |
| Johnny Weissmuller | United States |
swimming 1, water polo 1 | 1924 | 1928 | 2 |
| Gunnar Wennerström | Sweden |
swimming 1, water polo 1 | 1908 | 1908 | 1 |
| Walter W. Winans | United States |
shooting 1, art competitions 1 | 1908 | 1912 | 2 |
