The Olympic Dictionary U UGANDA (Republic of Uganda, Africa, capital Kampala, area 241.038 km2, population 30.883.807). 6 medals: one gold, 3 silvers, 2 bronzes. Best Olympics: Munich 1972 with one gold and a silver. Best sport: track & field, with one gold and one bronze (it has won most medals in boxing, 4, but no golds). Best athlete: John Akii-Bua, gold in the 400 m hurdles in 1972. The Ugandan Olympic Committee, founded in 1950, was recognised by the IOC in 1956. Since then they have appeared at every Olympics except for the 1976 Games, which they missed because of the boycott. UKRAINE (Europe, capital Kiev, area 603.700 km2, population 46.205.379). 69 medals: 21 gold, 17 silver, 31 bronze. Best Olympics: Athens 2004 with 9 golds, 5 silvers and 9 bronzes (curiously the Ukraine has won 23 medals in each of the three Olympics it has appeared at, with 9 golds at Atlanta 1996 but fewer silvers, 2 versus 5). Best sport: gymnastics, with 6 golds, 3 silvers and 4 bronzes. Best athlete: (q.v.) Yana Klochkova, swimming, with 4 golds (200 medley, 2000 and 2004, 400 medley, 2000 and 2004) and a silver (800 freestyle, 2000). Between 1952 and 1988, Ukrainian athletes representing the USSR and, in 1992, the Unified Team, won 230 medals, over 20% of the total: the outright record holder in terms of Olympic medals won, (q.v.) Larissa Latynina who won 18, is Ukrainian, for example. She won 9 golds (all-round 1956 and 1960, team competition 1956, 1960 and 1964, floor 1956, 1960 and 1964, vault 1956), 5 silvers (uneven bars 1956 and 1960, beam 1960, all-round 1964, vault 1964) and 4 bronzes (team competition with portable apparatus 1956, vault 1960, beam 1964, uneven bars 1964). The Ukrainian Olympic Committee was founded in 1990, a year before it secured independence from the USSR, and was recognised by the IOC in 1993: as a result, the Ukraine has been able to take part at the Games since 1996. It has never hosted an Olympics although 7 qualifying matches for the 1980 Olympic soccer tournament were held in Kiev. UNDERWATER SWIMMING This sport has never been included at the Games as a speciality separate from swimming. It is governed by CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subacquatiques – www.cmas.org). Events named “underwater swimming” and “plunge” requiring underwater breath-holding were staged only in the swimming schedule at Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904. In the first, swimmers had to swim underwater for as long and as far as possible, and in the second, they dived and then swam underwater, and the winner was the athlete who emerged furthest away. UNIFIED TEAM After the dismemberment of the USSR, the Commonwealth of Independent States took part in the 1992 Barcelona Games. Under the name of Unified Team, or Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, in French EUN) were athletes from 12 of the 15 ex Soviet Republics: only Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were missing, as their Olympic Committees had already won IOC recognition. The Unified Team won 112 medals: 45 gold, 38 silver and 29 bronze. Best sport: gymnastics, 10 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze. Most decorated athlete: Vitaly Scherbo (q.v.) (Belarus), gymnastics, 6 gold medals (individual and team all-round, parallel bars, vault, pommel horse, rings). 210 The Olympic Dictionary UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Asia, capital Abu Dhabi, area 83,600 km2, population 4.380.439). Medals: one (the gold won by Ahmed Al-Maktoum, men’s double trap, in 2004). The Olympic Committee was formed in 1979 and recognized by IOC the following year. It has always taken part in the Olympics since 1984. UNITED STATES (United States of America, North America, capital Washington, area 9.372.614 km2, population 305.826.244). 2.217 medals, the absolute record: 908 gold, 695 silver, 614 bronze. Best Olympics: Los Angeles 1984, 83 gold, 61 silver and 31 bronze (the USA won more medals in St. Louis, 1904, 241 as opposed to 175, but fewer gold, 77, with 82 silver and 82 bronze). Best sport: track & field, 318 gold, 233 silver and 190 bronze medals. Most decorated athlete: Raymond Ewry (q.v.), track & field, 10 gold medals (standing high jump 1900, 1904, 1906 and 1908, standing long jump 1900, 1904, 1906 and 1908, standing triple jump 1900 and 1904). The Olympic Committee, formed in 1894, received IOC recognition that year. It has taken part at all Olympics except the 1980 Games, missed because of the boycott. It hosted the Games in 1904 (St. Louis), 1932 (Los Angeles), 1984 (Los Angeles again) and 1996 (Atlanta). Other unsuccessful candidate cities: Baltimore, Chicago (awarded the 1904 Games, it withdrew the year before), Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and San Francisco. UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS (Caribbean, capital Charlotte Amalie, area 352 km2, population 111.425). One medal (the silver won by Peter Holmberg in sailing, Finn class, 1988). The Olympic Committee, formed in 1967, received IOC recognition in the same year: from 1968, it has missed just the 1980 edition. UPHOFF BECHER NICOLE (equestrian, West Germany then Germany, b. Duisburg 25/1/1967). Three appearances (1988, 1992, 1996) and 4 golds (individual dressage 1988 and 1992, team dressage 1988 and 1992). 1988 2-0-0, 1992 2-0-0. Her first horse, Waldfee, was a 10th birthday present from her parents. She was 14 when her father Jürgen gave her Rembrandt, 3 at the time, with whom she would win 4 Olympic golds, achieving the double in both Seoul and Barcelona. In 1988 she took the gold ahead of Frenchwoman Otto-Crépin and Swiss Stückelberger in the first all- female podium at the Games; in ’92, meanwhile, she came ahead of German team mates Werth and Balkenhol. She has also won 3 golds (individual 1990, team 1990-94) and a silver at the World Championships; 5 golds (individual 1989, team 1989-91-93-95) and a silver at the European Championships; 3 German titles. She is married to Otto Becker, winner of 2 Olympic golds (2000- 04), a World Championship silver (1990), and a European Championships gold (2003) and bronze (2001) in the team jumping for Germany. URUGUAY (Eastern Republic of Uruguay, South America, capital Montevideo, area 176.215 km2, population 3.339.701). 10 medals: 2 golds, 2 silvers, 6 bronzes. Best Olympics: Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928, with one gold each. Best sport: soccer, with 2 golds (1924 and 1928). Most decorated athletes: the eight footballers that won 2 golds each, i.e. José Leandro Andrade, Pedro Arispe, Pedro Cea, Andres Mazali, José Nasazzi, Pedro Petrone, Hector Scarone and Santos Urdinaran. The Olympic Committee, formed in 1923, was recognised the same year by the IOC. Since 1924 Uruguay has appeared at every Games except for the 1980 Olympics. USSR 1.010 medals: 395 golds, 319 silvers, 296 bronzes. Best Olympics: Moscow 1980, with 80 golds, 69 silvers and 46 bronzes. Best sport: gymnastics, 73 golds, 67 silvers and 44 bronzes. Most decorated athlete: with 18 medals, Ukrainian-born (q.v.) Larissa Latynina is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history. She won 9 golds (all-round 1956 and 1960, team competition 1956, 1960 and 1964, floor 1956, 1960 and 1964, vault 1956), 5 silvers (uneven bars 1956 and 1960, beam 1960, all-round 1964, vault 1964) and 4 bronzes (team competition with portable apparatus 1956, vault 1960, beam 1964, uneven bars 1964). Between 1900 and 1912, Tsarist Russia competed 211 The Olympic Dictionary in 3 Olympics, winning 8 medals (not counted in the total). The Soviet Union debuted at the Olympics in 1952, appearing at every Games up until 1988 (aside from the boycotted Games of 1984), and then as the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) at the 1992 Games, winning 112 medals (also not counted in the overall total). The USSR hosted the 1980 Moscow Games. UZBEKISTAN (Republic of Uzbekistan, Asia, capital Taskent, area 447.400 km2, population 27.372.256). 11 medals: 3 golds, 3 silvers, 5 bronzes. Best Olympics: Athens 2004 with 2 golds, a silver and 2 bronzes. Best sport: wrestling, with 2 golds and 2 silvers. Best athlete: Artur Taymazov, freestyle wrestling, with one gold (super heavyweight 120 kg, 2004) and a silver (super heavyweight 130 kg, 2000). Uzbekistani athletes represented the USSR from 1952-1988, and the Unified Team in 1992: winners of 2 golds each were Elvira Saadi (gymnastics), Arsen Fadzayev and Makharbek Khadartsev in freestyle wrestling (both were actually born in Ossetia, now divided up into North Ossetia, also known as Alania, and a region, South Ossetia, which forms part of the Republic of Georgia and is fighting for its independence) and Vera Duyunova-Galushka (volleyball). The Uzbekistani Olympic Committee was established in 1992, a year before it gained independence from the USSR, and was recognised by the IOC in 1993: Uzbekistan has therefore been able to appear at the Olympics since 1996, appearing subsequently at both the 2000 and 2004 Games as well. 212.