Why Does Puerto Rico Have an Olympic Team? Here's What to Know
"Have they been granted independence finally and released from the colonial shackles of their 'U.S. territory' bondage?"
Published July 31 2024, 3:25 p.m. ET
Athletes from Puerto Rico delegation sail in a boat along the river Seine as rain starts at the start of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on July 26, 2024.
While tuning into the Olympic games, you may have found yourself confused over why Puerto Rico competes separately from the United States. After all, people born Puerto Rico — which is classified as a U.S. territory — are U.S. citizens, and the Olympics are all about celebrating competition between different countries.
So why doe Puerto Rico have its own Olympic team, separate from that of Team USA? Below, we take a quick look at why these teams exist independently of each other.
Fans of Puerto Rico cheer and sing their country's national anthem, prior to the men's preliminary round group C basketball match between Puerto Rico and Serbia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on July 31, 2024.
Why does Puerto Rico have an Olympic team?
The U.S. took control of Puerto Rico in 1898 as part of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War. Over time, Puerto Rico has become a self-governing territory with its own court system. Still, they're subject to U.S. federal laws, they use the U.S. dollar, and their military and foreign policy are mostly managed by the U.S. Puerto Rico also doesn't have a vote in U.S. presidential or congressional elections.
As for why the Olympics consider Puerto Rico their own country, which therefore allows for their own separate team? Well, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) follows their own rules for what constitutes a country. The Olympic Charter — otherwise known as "the codification of the fundamental principles of Olympism, and the rules and bye-laws adopted by the [IOC]," per the Olympics website — explains that "the expression 'country' means an independent State recognized by the international community."
uerto Rico's #11 Sofia Roma and Puerto Rico's players acknowledge the public at the end of the women's preliminary round group A basketball match between Puerto Rico and Spain during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on July 31, 2024
And considering Puerto Rico's level of autonomy, with its own specific cultural identity, it seems that the IOC felt this met its guidelines. Similarly, the IOC has recognized the U.S. territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands as separate countries as well. Other territories that also have their own National Olympic Committees include Bermuda and Cook Islands.
The Puerto Rico Olympic Committee was formed in 1948. It was recognized by the IOC that same year, and the rest is history. When athletes from Puerto Rico win the gold, the official anthem of Puerto Rico — aka "La Borinqueña" — is played instead of the the U.S.'s "Star-Spangled Banner."
Puerto Rico's #32 Christopher Ortiz goes for a lay-up past Serbia's #15 Nikola Jokic in the men's preliminary round group C basketball match between Puerto Rico and Serbia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on July 31, 2024.
During Olympic season, you'll often find people posting online asking about why Puerto Rico has its own team. "Anyone know why Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team this year? I thought they were part of the U.S. Have they been granted independence finally and released from the colonial shackles of their 'U.S. territory' bondage?" writer John B. Gilman tweeted.
Another person tweeted: "Every Olympic cycle you see a bunch of people online, especially Americans, angry that Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team because how dare colonized people be represented in any international event and how dare our athletes’ success not be claimed as the Empire’s own achievements."
