Ethiopia at the Olympics

Ethiopia made its Olympic debut at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and has since become one of the most prominent nations in Olympic athletics. The country has participated in every Summer Games since its debut, with the exception of the 1976 Montreal, 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Games, which it boycotted along with several other African nations due to political reasons. Twenty-nine countries boycotted the 1976 Games due to the refusal of the IOC to ban New Zealand, after the New Zealand national rugby union team had toured South Africa earlier in 1976. Ethiopia joined the 1984 Soviet-led Boycott and stated that the step was taken because the United States uses the games 'for purely political purposes against socialist and progressive states'. Along with that, the Ethiopian Olympic Committee expressed a resolute protest in connection with the British government's refusal to cancel England's rugby union tour to South Africa with their racist-ruled apartheid system.

Ethiopia's Olympic achievements are overwhelmingly concentrated in track and field events, particularly in middle- and long-distance running, where it has established itself as a global powerhouse. Ethiopian runners have consistently dominated events ranging from the 800 metres to the marathon.

One of the few African and tropical countries, Ethiopia participated also in the Winter Olympic Games in 2006 and 2010. Ethiopian athletes have won a total of 62 medals, all at the Summer Olympics and all in athletics.

Ethiopia's participation in the Olympics is organized by the Ethiopian Olympic Committee, founded in 1948 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1954.