National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games. They may nominate cities within their respective areas as candidates for future Olympic Games. NOCs also promote the development of athletes and training of coaches and officials at a national level within their geographies.
As of 2008, there are 205 NOCs, representing both sovereign nations and other geographical areas. All 192 United Nations member states have National Olympic Committees, as do 13 other territories:
See the article for each continental association for the complete lists of all NOCs.
List of NOCs by recognition date
Below is a chronological list of the 205 NOCs recognized by the International Olympic Committee, since its foundation in 1894. Many of these committees were founded many years before their official recognition, while others were immediately accepted after being founded. Former states, nowadays non-extant (e.g. Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, etc.), are not listed, only the current states derived from them.
Macau Olympic Committee: Founded in 1987, and has attempted to enroll to the IOC since its foundation, but still not officially recognized and thus no athlete has participated in the Olympic Games under the name "Macau, China".
