The Ivy League's tradition in the Olympics is unparalleled. Since the first Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896, Ivy athletes have thrived on the international stage every four years in both the Summer and Winter Games.

With memorable performances that live in the Olympics lore, athletes from Ivy League schools have amassed an amazing total of 484 medals. This count would rank ninth on the all-time medal table if the Ivy League's eight institutions collectively were a country, as noted in the September 1, 2008, edition of Sports Illustrated.

Ivy athletes have enjoyed great success in the most recent Games with 42 athletes bringing home 14 medals (five gold, seven silver and two bronze) from the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China and 19 athletes securing 10 medals (six gold, three silver and one bronze) from the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Now Ivy athletes are pointing their focus to London in 2012 to once again uphold and represent the rich and long tradition of Ivy League athletes in international competition.