Between 1952 until 1984, Aruban athletes competed as part of the Netherlands Antilles. Aruba seceded in 1986 as a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the ComitĂ© OlĂmpico Arubano was formed. In 1988 they made their debut as an independent country in the Summer Games held in Seoul, Korea. They have been participating ever since but are yet to take home and Olympic medal and they also have never participated in the Winter Games.
Their most decorated athlete is Miguel Janssen who holds the country’s record in many long distance running events. He represented the country in the 1996 Summer Games in the United States (Atlanta, Georgia). He also participated under the Aruban flag in 6 separate World Championships. He did switch to Netherlands in August of 1998, however, he did not represent the country in any world competition. His personal bests include a 10.37s for 100 meters in Apeldoorn, Netherlands (1999) for outdoor running and 6.63s for 60 meters in The Hague (1998).
Related Pages
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- About sport in Aruba