Since its first win in 1960, Taiwan has won a total of 36 medals at the Olympic Games. Though it may not seem like a lot, it hasn't always been easy for Taiwanese athletes to compete in the Olympics due to pressure from the People's Republic of China. Because of long-standing tension over its sovereignty, Taiwan's athletes have competed under the name “Chinese Taipei” since 1984.
Taiwanese athletes won their first Olympic medal in 1960, a silver in the men's decathlon event in Rome. It wasn't until the 2004 games in Athens that Taiwan won its first gold medals—one each in both men's and women's Taekwondo. Bringing home a total of 12 medals, the recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics were Taiwan's most successful games to date.
Taiwanese athletes have excelled most in weightlifting and Taekwondo at the Olympics. Though badminton is a popular sport in Taiwan, it has been traditionally dominated by China. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, however, Taiwanese badminton duo Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) took home Taiwan's first gold medals in the sport.
Overall, Taiwanese women have won more Olympic medals than men. This includes the recent victory of the Badminton World Federation's number one female badminton athlete Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎), who earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women's singles competition.