At the international level, joining the United Nations is the most important sign of statehood. But belonging to the Olympic community is another top priority. Recent members include Kosovo, recognized by the IOC in 2014 as having the 205th official National Olympic Committee, and South Sudan, recognized as the 206th in 2015. In fact, some countries are recognized by the IOC before joining the U.N. The International Olympic Committee has more members (206) than the United Nations (193). The five largest nations (in the dictionary sense of “a large group of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language”) that aren’t U.N. members but send delegations to the Olympics come from places whose sovereignty is contested, for different reasons: China is opposed to Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and Hong Kong entering the U.N. system; Kosovo faces strong opposition from Serbia and Russia; Palestine is blocked by Israel and the United States. Puerto Rico, which may apply to become the 51st U.S. state, is a bit different from the others. For those entities (apart from Puerto Rico), the Olympics are seen as a first step toward fuller international recognition later on. More such nations in contested circumstances may apply in years to come. Competing at the Games also can unify divided countries. This can be important for more diverse countries. An example is medal-less Equatorial Guinea, a Central African country with several official languages that has sent delegations to every Summer Olympic Games since 1984. Another is Lebanon, a nation-state that doesn’t have one dominant religion – and which has taken part in all Summer Olympic Games (except for 1956) since its 1943 independence. Cheering for the national teams can help bring diverse countries together in a common identity.
Most nations going to the Olympics won’t bring home a medal. Here’s why they compete anyway. - The Washington Post (via dendroica)
