Five national teams won their first Olympic medals in Paris; 65 others have never won a medal

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — There are more than 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that send athletes to the Olympic Games, but the bid to win a medal is more elusive for some than others.

Five NOCs won their first-ever medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but 65 other teams have still never won a medal in the Summer Olympics.

Albania, Cabo Verde, Dominica, Saint Lucia and the Refugee Olympic Team all won their first medals in Paris. Saint Lucia and Dominica both won gold, while the three others each won a bronze medal.

Botswana and Guatemala won their first-ever gold medal, after both claiming their first medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

The United States won its first medal in the 1896 Athens Olympics, the first held in modern history, along with nine other teams including France, Germany, Great Britain and home country Greece.

Here’s a look at when each of the current NOCs won their first medal.

Some teams, like the United States, are fortunate enough to strike gold for their first Olympic medal, but many aren’t so lucky. The Philippines, for example, won its first medal — a bronze — in 1928. But the team had to wait 92 years, until 2020, to win its first gold medal.

While four teams, Botswana, Dominica, Guatemala and Saint Lucia, won their first gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, 103 teams are still waiting for their golden moment.