Welcome to NPCA’s Peace Corps Paris 2024 Olympics Zone!
The highly successful 2024 Paris Olympics have come to a close.
Sports were performed amidst iconic and beautiful settings that showcased the grandeur of Paris and the French countryside. The games were held without serious breaches to security. The return to post-pandemic competition with stands of cheering fans from around the world added to the excitement. And that was only topped by the razor-thin margins of so many victories, with numerous Olympic records – and even world records – being broken.
For those who served in the Peace Corps, there was plenty to cheer about beyond the outstanding performances of many U.S. athletes.
More than 1,000 medals were awarded to 87 nations. Fifty-six past and present Peace Corps countries collectively won 391 of those medals. Twenty-nine countries currently hosting Peace Corps Volunteers won exactly 100 medals (23 gold, 38 silver, 39 bronze) during the games.
The Philippines had never won a medal in gymnastics. By the end of the games, Carlos Yulo won two medals – both gold – elevating him to national hero status.
For Kenya, it was the rare double-gold for long distance runner Beatrice Chebet, who won both the women’s 5,000 and 10,000 meters races.
For the first time ever, Cape Verde, Dominica, and St. Lucia won Olympic medals. For St. Lucia (Julien Alfred in the women’s 100 meters) and Dominica (Thea LaFond in the women’s triple jump), it was also a first-time gold medal.
Another significant first came when female boxer Cindy Ngamba won a first-ever medal for the Olympic Refugee Team.
A number of countries showcased their specialty in certain sports, as evidenced by their medal haul. More than half of South Korea’s 32 medals came in the sports of archery (7, including five gold), judo (5) and shooting (6). Uzbekistan won five of their eight medals in boxing, and all the medals were gold!
Iran’s 12 medals came in the sports of wrestling and taekwondo. Five of the nine medals won by Romania came in rowing. All but one of the six medals won by the Kyrgyz Republic were won on the wrestling mat. Meanwhile, Georgia and Azerbaijan each won seven medals. Both countries won six of their medals in wrestling, judo, and boxing.
Past and present Peace Corps countries scored big in several team events. Brazil captured gold in women’s beach volleyball and silver in women’s football. It was bronze for Morocco in men’s football. And Botswana – anchored by gold medal sprinter Letsile Tebogo – captured a silver medal in the men’s 4 X 400 meter relay.
Medal counts for the top Peace Corps countries (past and present) are below. Use this link to see the entire medal count.
Be sure to visit NPCA’s Facebook page to share your reflections and favorite memories of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Paris 2024: Past & Current Peace Corps Countries Medal Race (Top 5)*
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Korea |
13 | 9 | 10 | 32 |
 Brazil |
3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
 Hungary |
6 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
 Uzbekistan |
8 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
 Ukraine |
3 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
Iran also won 12 medals (3 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze). Other top medal winners were Kenya (11), Poland (10), Romania (9) and Turkiye (8).
Updated Aug 14, 2024 at 11:00 AM ET
* China not listed…China won 91 medals finishing second in the overall medal count (and winning big in swimming, diving, and shooting).
Current Peace Corps Countries Medal Race (Top 5)
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kenya |
4 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
 Georgia |
3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
 Jamaica |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
 Thailand |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
 South Africa |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
The Kyrgyz Republic also won 6 medals (2 silver, 4 bronze). Other top medal winners were Ecuador and Mexico (5 medals each), and Armenia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Moldova, and the Philippines (4 medals each).
Updated Aug 14, 2024 at 11:00 AM ET
During the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo, Brazil* was the Peace Corps country that won the most medals. Check out the top ten Peace Corps countries in the medal count from 2020.
- Brazil: 21 Medals (7 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze)
- Hungary: 20 Medals (6 gold, 7 silver, 7 bronze)
- South Korea: 20 Medals (6 gold, 4 silver, 10 bronze)
- Ukraine: 19 Medals (1 gold, 6 silver, 12 bronze)
- Poland: 14 Medals (4 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze)
- Turkey: 13 Medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 9 bronze)
- Czech Republic: 11 Medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze)
- Kenya: 10 Medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)
- Jamaica: 9 Medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze)
- Georgia: 8 Medals (2 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze)
*(Other than China, which won 89 medals)
We’re all eager to see what will happen in the Paris 2024 games! What Peace Corps country will win the medal count? What Peace Corps countries might break through and win their first ever Olympic medal? Stay tuned!
Olympic Games Must-Reads
Aug 14: Botswana welcomes home gold medal sprinter, other medal winners (Sports Illustrated)
Aug 14: Countries that have not yet won an Olympic medal – and two that just did (New York Times)
Aug 14: Small countries are big winners when medal counts consider per capita population (News.com.au)
Aug 14: Filipino Carlos Yulo’s life after gymnastics gold is about to change (Olympics.com)
Aug 10: Taekwondo and Wrestling are among the sports resulting in medals for past/present Peace Corps countries (Olympics.com; Bleacher Report)
Aug 10: Ethiopia captures its first gold in the Paris games, winning the men’s marathon (ESPN)
Aug 9: Women’s beach volleyball gold goes to Brazil (BBC)
Aug 9: It’s double-gold in women’s long distance running for Kenya’s Chebet (BBC)
Aug 9: Hungary captures gold and bronze in the men’s marathon swim (ABC News)
Aug 9: Paulino becomes the first women from the Dominican Republic to win Olympic gold (NBC New York)
Aug 9: Morocco Rising: Men capture bronze medal in men’s football (ESPN)
Aug 8: Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo wins gold in the men’s 200 meters (BBC)
Aug 8: A big Day 13 at the Olympics for Bulgaria (Radio Bulgaria)
Aug 8: Olympic gold and a new Olympic record in the men’s javelin for Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (Reuters)
Aug 7: Jamaica’s Roje Stone sets Olympic record, wins gold in men’s discus. (Jamaica Observer)
Aug 6: Bahrain’s Yavi sets Olympic record in the women’s 3,000 meters steeplechase (Reuters)
Aug 4: Olympic Refugee Team is guaranteed its first-ever Olympic medal (Time)
Aug 4: Cape Verde wins its first-ever Olympic medal (Africanews)
Aug 3: Another Caribbean golden first. Dominica’s Thea LaFond wins the country’s first medal, capturing gold in the women’s triple jump (Reuters)
Aug 3: St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal is gold. Julien Alfred wins the women’s 100 meters (BBC)
Aug 2: Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei has record setting win in exciting men’s 10,000 meters (Aljazeera)
Aug 1: Brazilian gymnast, Rebeca Andrade, from humble beginnings wins silver for all-around Women’s Gymnastics in Paris (NPR)
July 31: Gymnast-to-shooter Guatemalan multi-athlete wins the country’s first gold medal (ESPN)
Highlights from the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony (NBC News)
Full Medals Race Tracker (NBC Olympics)
In the early years of the Peace Corps, many Volunteers were actively involved in building sports programs in many countries. If you were (or someone you know was) involved in building sports programs in your Peace Corps country of service, share your memories by emailing us at [email protected].
Breaking Olympic Records: A Peace Corps Spotlight
Rafer Johnson (pictured) qualified for both the decathlon and long jump events at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He set a new decathlon world record in the 1960 Olympic games, winning the gold medal by 58 points with an Olympic record total of 8,392 points. He later served on the organizing committee for the inaugural Special Olympics competition in Chicago in 1968, which was hosted by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics. The following year, Johnson led the establishment of the California Special Olympics. The Olympic gold marked Johnson’s retirement from competitive sports and catapulted him forward in the fight for racial and social justice. Johnson began his civil rights work assisting the NAACP and Urban League 60 years ago, taking part in initiatives to combat housing discrimination and voting rights. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy, Johnson worked with Peace Corps during the early days of its founding. On the heels of Olympic victory, he lent his prestige and renown to launch the Peace Corps. “I really believed that it wasn’t what my country could do for me,” he said years later. “It was what could I do for my country?”
Community Achievements: Olympics Edition
Compiled by Zii Patel
Bill Aossey (Senegal 1963–65) is widely credited as the first Muslim volunteer in the Peace Corps. While serving in Senegal, he not only helped dig wells but also coached the country’s first Olympic wrestling team.
Curtis Ray Canning competed in the 1968 Olympics and won a gold medal in rowing at the 1967 Pan-American Games before spending a transformative year in the Peace Corps.
Kathryn Davies Clark (Sierra Leone 1968–69; Jamaica 1984–87) became the first Volunteer to launch a Special Olympics-based service project during her time in Jamaica at the request of founding Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver.
Mickey Fedor (Ecuador 1978–82) pioneered the Special Olympics in Ecuador. Drawing inspiration from his participation in the Special Olympics as an athlete in the United States, Fedor began by implementing the concept in a few schools before expanding to large-scale events.
Andrea Goodrich (Peru 2013–15), worked as a guide in Glacier National Park and trained volunteers for Special Olympics through Dream Adaptive after returning from service in 2015.
William Kimbal Purdy (Uruguay 1969-70), an American rower, competed in the men’s coxed four event at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Robert Schneider (Niger 1978–81) better known for his illustrious career in economics, once competed in the road race at the 1972 Olympics, although he didn’t finish.
Bob Schul (Malaysia 1971–72) won the gold medal in the 5000 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first American to win this event.
Jennifer Seller (Mongolia 2013–15) played a pivotal role in training three Mongolian athletes for the inaugural Special Olympics in Mongolia, held in October 2014. One of her trainees went on to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, where she won a silver medal in track and field. Shortly afterwards, Seller organized the Arkhangai Special Olympics.