How many countries take part in the Olympics?

At the 2014 Winter Olympic games, more than 2,800 athletes from 88 different countries participated. At the 2012 Summer Games, athletes from 204 countries were represented.

While some countries sent more than 200 participants to the 2014 Winter Olympics, 18 nations sent just one athlete. Additionally, five countries made their Olympic debut in 2014: Malta, Paraguay, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Zimbabwe. The number of countries taking part in the Olympics has increased steadily over the years; the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece saw athletes representing 14 nations, while the first Winter event in Chamonix, France in 1924 fielded participants from 16 nations.