Cypriot athletes first participated in the modern Olympic Games during the inaugural 1896 Athens Olympics. At these Games, Cypriot competitors competed under the Greek flag. One of the most notable among them was Ioannis Frangoudis, an exceptional shooter of his time. Frangoudis won a gold medal in the 25-meter rapid fire pistol event and a silver medal in the men's 300-meter free rifle event with three positions.
The first Cypriot athlete to compete in the Olympics was Anastasios Andreou, a 110-meter hurdles champion. At the Athens Games, Andreou competed in the preliminary rounds of his event but finished fourth in his heat and did not advance. A significant moment in Cypriot Olympic history was the participation of Domnitsa Lanitou-Kavounidou. Born in Limassol, Lanitou-Kavounidou served as a champion for the "Olympia" Athletic Club. She was the first Greek female track and field athlete to compete in the Olympics. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, she competed in the 100 meters and the 80 meters hurdles. After World War II, she also participated in the 1948 London Olympics.
Later, Stavros Tziortzis achieved notable success at the 1972 Munich Olympics, competing in the 400-meter hurdles. Tziortzis managed to qualify for the final and finished in sixth place.
As an Independent Nation
The Cyprus Olympic Committee was established on June 10, 1974, and was recognized as an official member of the International Olympic Committee in April 1979, during a session in Montevideo. Cyprus made its first appearances in the Olympics at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid and the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. Since then, Cyprus has participated in all subsequent Olympic Games with a total of 128 athletes.
Turkish Cypriots who are unable or unwilling to compete under the flag of the Republic of Cyprus either compete for Turkey,[1] another country, or not at all, due to that the illegally occupied areas in the north, selfproclaimed as Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not internationally recognized by any major or minor authority (including the IOC), it has no Olympic committee.[2] Therefore, all Cypriot Olympians are required to compete under the name and flag of the Republic of Cyprus.
