National Olympic Committee
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games. They may nominate cities within their respective areas as candidates for future Olympic Games. NOCs also promote the development of athletes and training of coaches and officials at a national level within their geographies.
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National Olympic Committees
As of 2020, there are 206 National Olympic Committees. These include each of the 193 member states of the United Nations, one UN observer state (Palestine) and two states with limited recognition (Kosovo and Taiwan[note 1]).
There are also ten 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), one associated state of New Zealand (the Cook Islands) and one special administrative region of China (Hong Kong).
Prior to 1996, rules for recognising 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.[1] Since the rule does not apply retroactively, the dependent territories and constituent countries which were recognised before the rule change are allowed to continue sending separate teams to the Olympics, while the Faroe Islands and Macau send their own Paralympic teams.
The only state which thus qualifies to participate in the future is the Vatican City, a UN observer state. Niue, another associated state of New Zealand, could also be eligible for participation in the future as it conducts its own foreign relations and participates in several UN specialized agencies like other sovereign states. Currently, all other remaining states are ineligible to join the IOC as they are not recognised by a majority of the United Nations member countries.[2] Constituent countries and dependent territories such as Curaçao, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Macau and New Caledonia can also no longer be recognised, 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.[3][4]
For those countries and territories that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations, their National Olympic Committees also serve as the members of the Commonwealth Games Association. They are responsible for organising and overseeing their national teams at the Commonwealth Games.[5][6]
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-recognised 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) organise multi-sport events between Arabic-speaking 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)
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1: National Olympic Committee is a member of the UANOC.
2: National Olympic Committee is a member of the CIJM.
Americas (Panam Sports)
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1: National Olympic Committee is suspended by the IOC[7]
Asia (OCA)
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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.
Europe (EOC)
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1: Israel was a member of the OCA, but left the organisation in 1981. It joined the EOC in 1994.
2: National Olympic Committee is a member of the CIJM.
Oceania (ONOC)
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1: National Olympic Committee is an associate member of the ONOC but not an ANOC member.
Notes
Divisions
The NOCs are all members of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), which is also split among five continental associations:
| Continent | Association | NOCs | Oldest NOC | Newest NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa | 54 |  Egypt (1910) |
 South Sudan (2015) | |
| Pan American Sports Organization | 41 |  United States (1894) |
 Dominica (1993) Saint Kitts and Nevis (1993) Saint Lucia (1993) | ||
| Olympic Council of Asia | 44[8] |  Japan (1912) |
 Timor-Leste (2003) | ||
| European Olympic Committees | 50 |  France (1894) |
 Kosovo (2014) | ||
| Oceania National Olympic Committees | 17 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia (1895) |
 Tuvalu (2007) | ||
See the article for each continental association for the complete lists of all NOCs.
Unrecognized National Olympic Committees
The Faroe Islands and Macau both have recognized National Paralympic Committees and compete at the Paralympic Games. However, neither territory's National Olympic Committee is recognized by the IOC, so they cannot participate in the Olympics.[9] Macau remains recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia and takes part in the Asian Games.
Other existing countries/regions with unrecognized Olympic committees: Catalonia,[10] Gibraltar,[11] French Polynesia,[12] Niue,[13] Somaliland,[14] New Caledonia,[15] Kurdistan,[16][17] Northern Cyprus,[18] Abkhazia,[19] Native Americans,[20][21] the Northern Mariana Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Transnistria and Turks & Caicos Islands.[22]
South Ossetia intends to establish a National Olympic Committee,[23] and representatives from the Republic of Artsakh take part in Armenia's National Olympic Committee.[24]
Olympic Sport
| Name of organization | Sport | Non-IOC member is member in world level | Non-IOC member is only member in continental level | Case of Great Britain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA | Association football |  Anguilla,  Montserrat,  Turks and Caicos Islands,  Curaçao, Macau, China, Faroe Islands,  Gibraltar,  Tahiti,  New Caledonia |
 Northern Mariana Islands,  Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin, Guadeloupe,  Martinique, French Guiana,  Bonaire, Reunion (not allow to enter Africa Cup of Nations,  Zanzibar (not allow to send national team on continental level because Confederation of African Football rules forbid one sovereign to have 2 national team[25] but can participate in club competition without restriction. However, Zanzibar can participate in CECAFA , football governing body of East Africa at any level[26][27]) |
 England,  Scotland,  Wales, .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Northern Ireland |
| FINA | Swimming | Anguilla, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Macau, China, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Northern Mariana Islands |
As Great Britain | |
| World Athletics | Athletics | Tahiti,  Norfolk Island, Gibraltar, Macau, China, Anguilla, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, |
New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna,  Niue, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Sint Maarten, Curaçao |
As Great Britain |
| World Archery Federation | Archery | Tahiti, Norfolk Island,  Falkland Islands, Macau, China, Faroe Islands |
As Great Britain | |
| Badminton World Federation | Badminton | Curaçao, Tahiti, Gibraltar,  Greenland, Falkland Islands, Macau, China, Faroe Islands,  Saint Helena, Norfolk Island,  Isle of Man, Reunion, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, New Caledonia, Martinique, Northern Mariana Islands, Wallis and Futuna |
England, Scotland, Wales | |
| FIBA | Basketball | Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tahiti, Norfolk Island, Macau, China, Gibraltar |
As Great Britain | |
| International Boxing Association (amateur) | Amateur boxing | Anguilla, Tahiti, Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Macau, China, Gibraltar |
England, Scotland, Wales | |
| International Canoe Federation | Canoeing | Sint Maarten, Tahiti, Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| International Cycling Union | Cycling | Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| World DanceSport Federation | DanceSport | Macau, China |
England, Scotland, Wales | |
| International Federation for Equestrian Sports | Equestrian | England, Scotland, Wales | ||
| International Fencing Federation | Fencing | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| International Golf Federation | Golf | England, Scotland, Wales | ||
| International Gymnastics Federation | Gymnastics | England, Scotland, Wales | ||
| International Handball Federation | Handball | Faroe Islands, Greenland, French Guiana, Tahiti, New Caledonia Northern Mariana Islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Macau, China |
As Great Britain, but England, Scotland are association member | |
| International Hockey Federation | Field hockey | Macau, China, Gibraltar |
England, Scotland, Wales but Great Britain is adherent member | |
| International Judo Federation | Judo | Macau, China, Niue, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, Faroe Islands, Curaçao |
As Great Britain | |
| International Modern Pentathlon Union | Modern pentathlon | As Great Britain | ||
| World Rowing Federation | Rowing | Gibraltar |
As Great Britain | |
| World Rugby | Rugby union | Niue |
New Caledonia, Tahiti, Wallis and Futuna, Macau, China, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Curaçao, Reunion, Mayotte |
England, Scotland, Wales |
| World Sailing | Sailing | Tahiti, .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Netherlands Antilles |
As Great Britain | |
| International Shooting Sport Federation | Shooting sports | Faroe Islands, Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| ITTF | Table tennis |  Jersey,  Guernsey, Gibraltar, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Macau, China, Tahiti, Falkland Islands, Sint Maarten, Northern Mariana Islands, New Caledonia, Niue,  Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna |
England, Scotland, Wales | |
| World Taekwondo | Taekwondo | Isle of Man, Macau, China, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Martinique, |
As Great Britain | |
| ITF | Tennis | Tahiti, Curaçao, Macau, China, Anguilla, Tahiti, Bonaire, Norfolk Islands, Northern Mariana Islands |
Sint Maarten, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana |
As Great Britain |
| World Triathlon | Triathlon | Gibraltar, Macau, China, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Northern Mariana Islands |
As Great Britain | |
| Fédération Internationale de Volleyball | Volleyball | Macau, China, Gibraltar, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Tahiti, Northern Mariana Islands, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Bonaire,  Saba,  Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin, Curaçao |
England, Scotland, | |
| International Weightlifting Federation | Olympic weightlifting | Zanzibar, Niue, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Wallis and Futuna, Northern Mariana Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Curaçao |
 Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales | |
| United World Wrestling | Amateur wrestling | Tokelau, Niue, Tahiti, Northern Mariana Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Curaçao |
As Great Britain | |
| International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation | Bobsleigh and Skeleton | As Great Britain | ||
| International Biathlon Union | Biathlon | Greenland |
As Great Britain |
Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations
| Name of organization | Sport | Non-IOC member is member in world level | Non-IOC member is only member in continental level | Case of Great Britain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Lacrosse | Lacrosse |  Haudenosaunee |
England, Scotland, | |
| World Pool-Billiard Association | Pool (cue sports) |  North Cyprus, Bonaire, Curaçao, Tahiti, Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| International Billiards and Snooker Federation | Snooker and English billiards (amateur) | Isle of Man |
None | |
| Union Mondiale de Billard | Carom billiards | North Cyprus, Isle of Man, Curaçao |
None | |
| Tug of War International Federation | Tug of War | Channel Islands,  Basque Country, Macau, China |
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | |
| International Wushu Federation | Wushu | New Caledonia, Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques | Underwater sport | Tahiti, Northern Mariana Islands |
As Great Britain | |
| International Federation of Sport Climbing | Sport Climbing | Macau, China |
New Caledonia |
As Great Britain |
| World Squash Federation | Squash | Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Macau, China, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Norfolk Island |
England, Scotland, | |
| Union Internationale Motonautique | Powerboating | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| Federation of International Polo | Polo | England | ||
| International Orienteering Federation | Orienteering | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| International Life Saving Federation | Lifesaving | Macau, China, Faroe Islands |
As Great Britain | |
| World Skate | Roller sports | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| International Federation of Muaythai Associations | Muay Thai | Macau, China, Tahiti |
As Great Britain | |
| World Lacrosse | Lacrosse |  Catalonia, Macau, China, Curaçao, |
England, Scotland, | |
| International Floorball Federation | Floorball | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| World Flying Disc Federation | Flying Disc | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| International Bowling Federation | Bowling | Catalonia, Macau, China, Jersey, Gibraltar, Northern Mariana Islands, Curaçao |
Great Britain, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | |
| World Karate Federation | Karate | Macau, China, Martinique, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Wallis and Futuna, Curaçao |
Great Britain is full member but Home Nations participate separately as England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | |
| World Bridge Federation | Contact bridge | Faroe Islands, Macau, China, Reunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe |
England, Scotland, | |
| International Federation Icestocksport | ice stock sport | As Great Britain | ||
| International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation | (3-Event Waterskiing), Wakeboard, Barefoot, Show Skiing, Cable Wakeboard, Cableski, Ski Racing, and Disabled Skiing | As Great Britain | ||
| World Association of Kickboxing Organizations | Kickboxing | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme | Motorcycle racing | Macau, China |
As Great Britain | |
| FIDE | Chess | Faroe Islands, Macau, China, Netherlands Antilles, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, |
England, Scotland, | |
| International Racquetball Federation | Racquetball | Catalonia, Saipan |
England | |
| Fédération Internationale de Sambo | Sambo | As Great Britain | ||
| International Ski Mountaineering Federation | Ski Mountaineering | As Great Britain | ||
| International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation | Climbing and Mountaineering | As Great Britain | ||
| International Sumo Federation | Sumo | As Great Britain | ||
| International Surfing Association | Surfing |  Hawaii, Tahiti |
England, Scotland, | |
| International Cricket Council | Cricket |  West Indies (, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Saint Helena, Faroe Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Falkland Islands |
 Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, Sint Maarten |
England, Scotland |
See also
- National Paralympic Committee
- List of IOC country codes
- District of Columbia Olympic Committee
- Commonwealth Games Association
Notes
- Designated as Chinese Taipei by the IOC.
References
Citations
- "Overseas Territories (3rd February 2012)". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "127th IOC Session comes to close in Monaco". International Olympic Committee. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
The NOC of Kosovo met the requirements for recognition as outlined in the Olympic Charter. These include the sport and technical requirements as well as the definition of "country" as defined in Rule 30.1 – "an independent State recognised by the international community". Kosovo is recognised as a country by 108 of the 193 UN Member States.
- "Executive Board concludes first meeting of the new year". olympic.org ("Official website of the Olympic movement"). 13 January 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- "Curtain comes down on 123rd IOC Session". Olympic.org.
- "Belize - National Olympic Committee (NOC)". 27 July 2021.
- "Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association: ANOC".
- IOC Executive Board suspends NOC of Guatemala
- The OCA includes 45 NOCs; the Macau Sports and Olympic Committee is not recognized by the IOC and Macau does not compete at the Olympic Games.
- "For the Faroe Islands, Paralympics offer rare chance to wave the flag on global stage". The Japan Times. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- Hargreaves, John (2000). Freedom for Catalonia? : Catalan nationalism, Spanish identity and the Barcelona Olympic Games ([Online-Ausg.]. ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521586153.
- "andalucia.com". andalucia.com. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- Friedrich, Walter L. "Canoc.net - CANOC Members". Accessmylibrary.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Full Page - Niue Island Sports Association and National Olympic Committee - FOX SPORTS PULSE". Sportingpulse.com. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Website ka wasaaradda Dhalinyaradda Iyo Ciyaaraha Somaliland - Homepage". Somalilandolympics.org. 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "New Caledonia National Olympic Committee". SportingPulse. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "Display Article". Kurdishglobe.net. 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Turkish Cypriots denied access to London Olympics 2012". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- Smoltczyk, Alexander (27 August 2009). "The ABC Republic: Abkhazia Attempts to Invent Itself - SPIEGEL ONLINE". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Native Americans seek recognition". Nativevoices.org. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "Jim Thorpe's Sons Bolster Native American Olympic Dream : Fri, 10 Jul 2009 : eNewsChannels". Enewschannels.com. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "CANOC Members". canoc.net. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "В Южной Осетии продолжат работу над созданием национального олимпийского комитета - Политика, выборы, власть - Новости - ИА REGNUM". Regnum.ru. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Armenia Karabakh Ministers Sign Accord | Asbarez Armenian News". Asbarez.com. 4 February 1999. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Zanzibar loses membership in Caf U-turn". BBC Sport.
- "Senior Challenge Cup - CECAFA FOOTBALL".
- "Ethiopia score five against Zanzibar in CECAFA Senior Women's Championship".
Sources
- "National Olympic Committees". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
- Association of National Olympic Committees website
External links
Media related to National Olympic Committees at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
| Association of National Olympic Committees | ||
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| Africa | ANOCA – Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa | |
| Americas | PASO – Panam Sports | |
| Asia | OCA – Olympic Council of Asia | |
| Europe | EOC – European Olympic Committees | |
| Oceania | ONOC – Oceania National Olympic Committees | |
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