As of 2023, there are 206 National Olympic Committees. These include each of the 193
member states of the United Nations, one
UN General Assembly observer state (
Palestine), two
states without UN recognition (
Kosovo and
Taiwan) and one
associated state of
New Zealand (the
Cook Islands). There are also nine
dependent territories with recognized NOCs: four
territories of the United States (
American Samoa,
Guam,
Puerto Rico, and the
United States Virgin Islands), three
British Overseas Territories (
Bermuda, the
British Virgin Islands, and the
Cayman Islands), one
constituent country of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands (
Aruba) and one
special administrative region of
China (
Hong Kong). Prior to 1996, rules for recognizing dependent territories or constituent countries as separate countries within the IOC were not as strict as those within the
United Nations, which allowed these territories to field teams separately from their sovereign state. Following an amendment to the Olympic Charter in 1996, NOC recognition can only be granted after recognition as an independent country by the international community. Since
the rule does not apply retroactively, the dependent territories and constituent countries which were recognized before the rule change are allowed to continue sending separate teams to the Olympics, and
Macau send their own
Paralympic teams. The only state which thus qualifies to participate in the future is the
Vatican City, a UN General Assembly observer state.
Niue, an
associated state of New Zealand, could also be eligible as it conducts its own foreign relations and participates independently in UN specialized agencies and treaties, though this is unclear. Currently,
all other remaining states are ineligible to join the IOC as they are not recognized by a majority of United Nations member countries. Constituent countries and dependent territories such as
Curaçao, the
Faroe Islands,
Gibraltar,
Greenland,
Macau,
New Caledonia and
French Polynesia can also no longer be recognized, so athletes from these territories can only participate in the Olympics as part of their parent nation's national team. This rule also applies to territories experiencing a change in status – the
Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee was dissolved at the 123rd IOC session in July 2011 as the
Netherlands Antilles ceased to exist in 2010. For those countries and territories that are part of the
Commonwealth of Nations, their National Olympic Committees usually also serve as the members of the
Commonwealth Games Association, though not for the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), nor for Canada or Australia, who maintain separate organisations for Commonwealth and Olympic sport. For the other Commonwealth members, their NOCs are responsible for organising and overseeing their national teams at the
Commonwealth Games.
Listed NOCs This section lists the current: • 206 National Olympic Committees who are recognised by the International Olympic Committee, and so are the members of the
Association of National Olympic Committees. • 7 National Olympic Committees who are recognised by their continental Olympic associations, but are not recognised by the International Olympic Committee (
Italics). The ANOC members are eligible to enter the
Olympic Games. Some National Olympic Committees who are members of a continental Olympic association but not ANOC members compete in continental-level and subregional-level tournaments. These committees, however, are not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. The five continental Olympic associations are: • Africa –
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) • America –
Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) • Asia –
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) • Europe –
European Olympic Committees (EOC) • Oceania –
Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) The IOC runs the
Summer Olympic Games and the
Winter Olympic Games as competitions in which all IOC-recognized NOCs can participate. Each continent also runs its own championships for their members: • ANOCA –
African Games • PASO –
Pan American Games and
Pan American Winter Games • OCA –
Asian Games and
Asian Winter Games • EOC –
European Games • ONOC –
Pacific Games While not continental unions in themselves, the
Union of Arab National Olympic Committees (UANOC) and
International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM) organize multi-sport events between
Arab League countries and Mediterranean countries respectively. All 22 National Olympic Committees that form the UANOC and the 26 from CIJM are also members of either the ANOCA, EOC or OCA and are eligible to send their athletes to either the African, European or Asian Games. National Olympic Committees from the UANOC and CIJM are noted in the list below.
Africa (ANOCA) •
Algeria1 2 •
Angola •
Benin •
Botswana 3 •
Burkina Faso •
Burundi •
Cameroon 3 •
Cape Verde •
Central African Republic •
Chad •
Comoros1 •
Congo •
DR Congo •
Côte d'Ivoire •
Djibouti1 •
Egypt12 •
Equatorial Guinea •
Eritrea •
Eswatini 3 •
Ethiopia •
Gabon 3 •
Gambia 3 •
Ghana 3 •
Guinea •
Guinea-Bissau •
Kenya 3 •
Lesotho 3 •
Liberia •
Libya12 •
Madagascar •
Malawi 3 •
Mali •
Mauritania1 •
Mauritius 3 •
Morocco12 •
Mozambique 3 •
Namibia 3 •
Niger •
Nigeria 3 •
Rwanda 3 •
São Tomé and Príncipe •
Senegal •
Seychelles 3 •
Sierra Leone 3 •
Somalia1 •
South Africa 3 •
South Sudan •
Sudan1 •
United Republic of Tanzania 3 •
Togo 3 •
Tunisia12 •
Uganda 3 •
Zambia 3 •
Zimbabwe 3 1: National Olympic Committee is a member of the
UANOC. 2: National Olympic Committee is a member of the
CIJM. 3: National Olympic Committee is also
National Commonwealth Games Association Americas (Panam Sports) •
Antigua and Barbuda1 •
Argentina •
Aruba •
Bahamas1 •
Barbados1 •
Belize1 •
Bermuda1 •
Bolivia •
Brazil •
British Virgin Islands1 •
Canada1 •
Cayman Islands1 •
Chile •
Colombia •
Costa Rica •
Cuba •
Dominica1 •
Dominican Republic •
Ecuador •
El Salvador •
Grenada1 •
Guatemala •
Guyana1 •
Haiti •
Honduras •
Jamaica1 •
Mexico •
Nicaragua •
Panama •
Paraguay •
Peru •
Puerto Rico •
Saint Kitts and Nevis1 •
Saint Lucia1 •
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1 •
Suriname •
Trinidad and Tobago1 •
United States of America •
Uruguay •
Venezuela •
Virgin Islands, US 1: National Olympic committee also a member of the
Commonwealth Games Federation Asia (OCA) •
Afghanistan •
Bahrain1 •
Bangladesh5 •
Bhutan •
Brunei5 •
Cambodia •
People's Republic of China •
Hong Kong, China •
India5 •
Indonesia •
Iran •
Iraq1 •
Japan •
Jordan1 •
Kazakhstan •
DPR Korea •
Republic of Korea •
Kuwait1 •
Kyrgyzstan •
Laos •
Lebanon14 •
Macau, China2 •
Malaysia5 •
Maldives5 •
Mongolia •
Myanmar •
Nepal •
Oman1 •
Pakistan5 •
Palestine1 •
Philippines •
Qatar1 •
Saudi Arabia1 •
Singapore5 •
Sri Lanka5 •
Syria14 •
Chinese Taipei3 •
Tajikistan •
Thailand •
Timor-Leste •
Turkmenistan •
United Arab Emirates1 •
Uzbekistan •
Vietnam •
Yemen1 1: National Olympic Committee is a member of the UANOC. 2: National Olympic Committee is a member of the OCA but not an
ANOC member. 3: Official name used by the IOC, ANOC and OCA for the
Republic of China (Taiwan). 4: National Olympic Committee is a member of the CIJM. 5: National Olympic committee also the national Commonwealth Games Association.
Europe (EOC) •
Albania2 •
Andorra2 •
Armenia •
Austria •
Azerbaijan •
Belarus 4 •
Belgium •
Bosnia and Herzegovina2 •
Bulgaria •
Croatia2 •
Cyprus23 •
Czechia •
Denmark •
Estonia •
Finland •
France2 •
Georgia •
Germany •
Greece2 •
Hungary •
Iceland •
Ireland •
Israel1 •
Italy2 •
Kosovo2 •
Latvia •
Liechtenstein •
Lithuania •
Luxembourg •
Malta23 •
Republic of Moldova •
Monaco 2 •
Montenegro 2 •
Netherlands •
North Macedonia 2 •
Norway •
Poland •
Portugal 2 •
Romania •
Russian Federation4 •
San Marino 2 •
Serbia 2 •
Slovakia •
Slovenia 2 •
Spain 2 •
Sweden •
Switzerland •
Türkiye 2 •
Ukraine •
United Kingdom 1: Israel was a member of the OCA, but was expelled from the organization between 1952 and 1981. Joined the EOC in 1994. 2: National Olympic Committee is a member of the CIJM. 3: National Olympic committee also the national Commonwealth Games Association. 4: National Olympic Committee is suspended by the IOC.
Oceania (ONOC) •
American Samoa •
Australia •
Cook Islands •
Fiji •
Guam •
Kiribati •
Marshall Islands •
FS Micronesia •
Nauru •
New Caledonia1 •
New Zealand •
Niue1 •
Norfolk Island1 •
Northern Mariana Islands1 •
Palau •
Papua New Guinea •
Samoa •
Solomon Islands •
French Polynesia1 •
Tonga •
Tuvalu •
Vanuatu •
Wallis and Futuna1 1: National Olympic Committee is an associate member of the ONOC but not an ANOC member.
Notes ==Divisions==