Yes, territories like Puerto Rico can have their own Olympic teams

The 2024 Paris Olympics are now in full swing, and the United States is already collecting many medals.

But some American athletes who live in U.S. territories aren’t competing for Team USA. A popular Google search over the last week asks if Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, has its own Olympic team, with others asking why that’s allowed.

THE QUESTION

Are U.S. territories like Puerto Rico allowed to have their own Olympic teams? 

THE SOURCES

• International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• Olympic Charter
• U.S. Census Bureau

THE ANSWER

Yes, U.S. territories like Puerto Rico are allowed to have their own Olympic teams. 

WHAT WE FOUND

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says countries do not compete in the Olympic Games, but instead National Olympic Committees (NOCs) compete. Several U.S. territories have National Olympic Committees and can therefore compete in the Olympics. 

These territories include the American territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

The British territories of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands also have their own Olympic teams. Hong Kong, which is a Chinese city that has a special status within the country allowing it a unique political system and economy, has its own Olympic team, too.  

According to the Olympic Charter, a National Olympic Committee must apply to the IOC for recognition, and as part of that application must prove it represents sporting bodies in its country and is active in sports both nationally and internationally.

The Olympic Charter says a “country” in this case is “an independent State recognised by the international community.”

And since recognition of National Olympic Committees are subject to the final approval of the IOC, what territories meet this criteria is ultimately determined by the IOC. 

In some cases, this includes recognizing the National Olympic Committees of nations that are recognized by only some countries and are not part of the United Nations. Chinese Taipei, another name for Taiwan, fields an Olympic team, as does Palestine, which is recognized by all but 25% of UN member states.

The Refugee Olympic Team, which is managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation instead of a traditional National Olympic Committee, also competes in the Olympics without representing a single country. National Olympic Committees identify refugee athletes living in their countries and support them through the program.

The IOC says someone who is a national of two or more countries at the same time may represent either one of them. Since people born in U.S. territories are U.S. citizens, that would mean athletes from these territories could compete for their territory or the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau says one athlete from the U.S. Virgin Islands is a member of Team USA. That athlete is Ian Barrows, who competes in sailing.

This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: Sí, territorios como Puerto Rico pueden tener sus propios equipos olímpicos