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Team US Virgin Islands in the Olympic Games


The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) may be a small territory, but we are hugely proud of the athletes that represent us in the Olympic Games. While the Jamaican Bobsled team may have put the Caribbean on the map for the Winter Olympics, many of the Caribbean islands send delegates to both the Summer and Winter Olympics – and the USVI is no exception. You’ll find many sleepy faces at work here on St. Croix during the weeks of the Olympics as residents stay up late each night watching the Games and cheering for the Team USVI and Team USA.

The USVI got their start in the Olympic Games when the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee was formed in 1967, and recognized by the International Olympic Committee the same year. As you can imagine given the Caribbean climate here, the majority of the USVI athletes compete in the Summer Olympics in events like Athletics (Track and Field), Swimming, Sailing and Yachting. A few Summer Olympians from the USVI have also competed in Boxing, Weightlifting, Shooting, Wrestling, Fencing, Equestrian, Tea Kwon Do, and Cycling over the years. Since the team was started 1968, the USVI have competed in almost every Summer Olympics, the only exception being 1980 when the USVI took part in the boycott of the Moscow Games. You may be surprised to learn that the USVI have also participated in seven of the Olympic Winter Games since 1988. Athletes from the USVI have competed in Luge, Bobsled and Skiing at the various Winter Games. In fact, Seba Johnson, the first African American woman Olympic skier, and Dinah Suzy Browne, the first African American Women’s Luge athlete, both represented the USVI in Winter Olympics.

For those watching or reading about the Olympic Games you can find the USVI Olympic Team stats and scores listed under “ISV”. Why ISV? According to the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, it is a matter of the Olympic languages. The modern Olympic Games were founded by a Frenchman names Pierre de Coubertin, and French and English are the two official languages of the Olympics. Each country participating in the Olympic Games is given a three letter country code for their team. For most countries, it’s the first three letters of the country’s name, and while many country’s names are very similar in English and French, there are some that are very different. For example Spain in French is Espagne, so their team’s country code is ESP. The Virgin Islands in French are called Iles Vierges, and that’s where the ISV country code is derived.

In addition to the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the USVI also sends delegations to the Youth Olympics (where we have one gold medal won by Ian Barrow in 2010), as well as the Pan Am Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games. While the USVI Olympic Team has only brought home one medal thus far in our history at the Games (a silver medal in Sailing at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul by Peter Holmberg), we are nonetheless proud and supportive of ALL the athletes that compete for our territory. To learn more about the USVI Olympic athletes and the history of the USVI in the Olympic Games, you can visit the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee website at  www.virginislandsolympics.org.

Here is a list of the athletes that have competed in the Olympic Games representing the USVI, including the sport in which they competed:

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Katie Tannenbaum – Skeleton

2020 (2021) Tokoyo Summer Olympics

Eddie Lovett – Athletics (Track & field)

Natalia “Nati” Kuipers – Swimming

Adriel Sanes – Swimming

Nicholas D’Amour – Archery

2016 Rio Summer Olympics

Laverne Jones – Athletics (Track & field)

Muhammad Halim – Athletics (Track & field)

Eddie Lovett – Athletics (Track & field)

Caylee Watson – Swimming

Rex Tullius – Swimming

Clayton Laurent Jr. – Boxing

Cy Thompson – Laser Class Sailing

2012 London Summer Olympics

Tabarie Henry – Athletics (Track & field)

Muhammad Halim – Athletics (Track & field)

Allison Peter – Athletics (Track & field)

Laverne Jones-Ferrette – Athletics (Track & field)

Cy Thompson – Laser Class Sailing

Mimi Roller – Laser Class Sailing

Branden Whitehurst – Swimming

2006 Torino Winter Olympics

Julianne Abernathy – Women’s Luge

2004 Athens Summer Olympics

Laverne Jones – Athletics (Track & Field)

Adrian Durant – Athletics (Track & Field)

Timothy Pitts – Sailing

George Gleason – Swimming

Joshua Laban – Swimming

Chris Rice – Shooting

Sasha Gumbs – Youth Camp

Muhammad Abiff – Youth Camp

2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics

Troy Billington – Bobsled

Zachery Zoller – Bobsled

Quinn T. Wheeler – Bobsled

Paul A. Zar – Bobsled

Michael Savitch – Bobsled

Christian E. Brown – Bobsled

Keith E. Sudziarski – Bobsled

Julianne Abernathy – Women’s Luge

Dinah Suzy Browne – Women’s Luge (First African American Women’s Luge athlete and Flag Bearer)

2000 Sydney Summer Olympics

Flora Hyacinth – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ameerah Bello – Athletics (Track & Field)

Jeff Jackson – Athletics (Track & Field)

Lucy “Gigi” Hewitt – Equestrian

Chris Rice – Shooting

Bruce Meredith – Shooting

George Gleason – Swimming

Paul Stoeken – Sailing

Ben Beer – Sailing

Joshua Laban – Youth Camp

Rodneyscha Pitts – Youth Camp

1998 Nagano Winter Olympics

Paul Zar – Bobsleigh

Zachery Zoller – Bobsleigh

Keith Sudziarski – Bobsleigh

Anders Vestergaard – Bobsleigh

Todd Schultz – Bobsleigh

William H. Neill – Bobsleigh

Christian E. Brown – Bobsleigh

Jeff C. Kromenhoek – Bobsleigh

Julianne Abernathy – Luge

1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics

Flora Hyacinth – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ameerah Bello – Athletics (Track & Field)

Rochelle Thomas – Athletics (Track & Field)

Jilma Patrick – Athletics (Track & Field)

Jacquelin Hunter – Athletics (Track & Field)

Maria Noel – Athletics (Track & Field)

Mitchell Peters – Athletics (Track & Field)

Dr. Marlon S. Williams – Athletics (Track & Field)

Jacobo Garcia – Boxing

Lisa Neuberger – Sailing

Bruce Meredith – Shooting

Khemo Rivera – Swimming

Edward Dominique – Youth Camp

Andrew Ralph – Youth Camp

Delima Schiegelow – Youth Camp

1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics

David Entwistle – Bobsleigh

Paul Zar – Bobsleigh

Zachery Zoller – Bobsleigh

Keith Sudziarski – Bobsleigh

Alexander Poe – Luge

Julianne Abernathy – Luge

Todd Schultz – Luge

Kyle Heikkila – Luge

Anders Vestergard – Luge

1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics

Jacobo Garcia – Boxing

Gilberto W. Brown – Boxing

Chesen B. Frey – Cycling

Charles R. Holzer – Equestrian

Bruce Meredith – Shooting

Kris Singleton – Swimming

Laurent P. Alfred – Swimming

Shelley K. Cramer – Swimming

Derry Pemberton – Athletics (Track & Field)

Keith A. Smith – Athletics (Track & Field)

Desi Wynter – Athletics (Track & Field)

Neville G. Hodge – Athletics (Track & Field)

Calvin Dallas – Athletics (Track & Field)

Marlon S. Williams – Athletics (Track & Field)

Flora Hyacinth – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ana M. Gutierrez – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ruth L. Morris – Athletics (Track & Field)

Mitchell L. Peters – Athletics (Track & Field)

Wendall D. Dickerson – Athletics (Track & Field)

Mark E. Swanson – Yachting

Lisa Neuberger – Yachting

John Foster, Sr. – Yachting

John P. Foster, Jr. – Yachting

Jimmy Diaz – Yachting

Jean A. Brauer – Yachting

John Holmberg – Yachting

Terrance E. Highfield – Youth Camp

Velencio P.C. Jackson – Youth Camp

Jose Manibo – Youth Camp

Gina Gonzalez – Youth Camp

1992 Albertville Winter Olympics

Daniel Burgner – Bobsleigh

David Entwistle – Bobsleigh

William Neill – Bobsleigh

Don Hass – Bobsleigh

Sven Petersen – Bobsleigh

Stephen Hendren – Bobsleigh

James Withey – Bobsleigh

Michael Juhlin – Bobsleigh

Ernst Matthias – Bobsleigh

Harvey Hook – Bobsleigh

Paul Zar – Bobsleigh

Robbie Johnston – Bobsleigh

Julianne Abernathy – Luge

Kyle Heikkila – Luge

Seba Johnson – Skiing

John Campbell – Skiing

1988 Seoul Summer Olympics

Stephanie McKnight – Cycling

Charles Brodnax – Equestrian

Bruce Meredith – Shooting

Hans Foerster – Swimming

Kris Singleton – Swimming

Kraig Singleton – Swimming

William Cleveland – Swimming

Ronald Picard – Swimming

Tricia Duncan – Swimming

Wallace D. Williams – Athletics (Track & Field)

Marlon S. Williams – Athletics (Track & Field)

Flora Hyacinth – Athletics (Track & Field)

Neville G. Hodge – Athletics (Track & Field)

James Fleming – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ruth Morris – Athletics (Track & Field)

Desi Wynter – Athletics (Track & Field)

Calvin Dallas – Athletics (Track & Field)

Luke Bauldauf – Yachting

John F. Foster – Yachting

John P. Foster – Yachting

Peter Holmberg – Yachting (Silver Medal Winner)

Jean Braure – Yachting

Hans Reiter -Yachting

William Jurczk – Yachting

Robert Fellner – Tae Kwon Do

Deborah Washington – Tae Kwon Do

Tami Noel – Tae Kwon Do

Phillicia Sprauve – Tae Kwon Do

1988 Calgary Winter Olympics

Cathleen Sharpless – Delegate

William Beer – Bobsleigh

David Hook – Bobsleigh

John F. Foster – Bobsleigh

John P. Foster – Bobsleigh

Christopher Sharpless – Bobsleigh

Harvey Hook – Bobsleigh

John Reeve – Bobsleigh

Julianne Abernathy – Luge

Seba Johnson – Skiing (First African American woman Olympic skier)

1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics

Clifton Charleswell – Boxing

Richard Rader – Equestrian

Julito Francis – Fencing

James Kerr – Fencing

James Kreglo – Fencing

Alayna Snell – Fencing

Gary Berne – Shooting

William Henderson – Shooting

Roland B. Scott, Jr. – Shooting

Shelley Cramer – Swimming

Brian Farlow – Swimming

Jodie Lawaetz – Swimming

Scott Newkirk – Swimming

Erik Rosskopf – Swimming

Collier Woolard – Swimming

Harrell J. Woolard – Swimming

Neville G. Hodge – Athletics (Track & Field)

Brion Morrisette – Athletics (Track & Field)

Marlon S. Williams – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ronald E. Russell – Athletics (Track & Field)

James Fleming – Athletics (Track & Field)

Wendell Powell – Athletics (Track & Field)

Jean Braure – Yachting

Daniel Dickison – Yachting

John F. Foster – Yachting

John P. Poster – Yachting

Peter Holmberg – Yachting

Kirk Grybowski – Yachting

John Holmberg – Yachting

Kenneth C. Klein – Yachting

Al Lang – Yachting

Marlon Singh – Yachting

Trace Tervo – Yachting

Eric Zucker – Yachting

Chris Thompson – Windsurfing Exhibit

Lisa Penfield – Windsurfing Exhibit

1976 Montreal Summer Olympics

Marcelino Garcia – Boxing

Harold Fredericks – Shooting

Peter Hogan – Shooting

Russell Johnson – Shooting

Shelley Cramer – Swimming

Steven Newkirk – Swimming

Rita Hendricks – Athletics (Track & Field)

Henry Klein – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ronald E. Russell – Athletics (Track & Field)

Ivan David – Wrestling

Ronald Joseph – Wrestling

Emille Kitnurse – Wrestling

Art Andrew – Yachting

John F. Foster – Yachting

Doug Graham – Yachting

Dick Johnson – Yachting

Tim Kelbert – Yachting

Dan Morrison – Yachting

1972 Munich Summer Olympics

William Peets – Boxing

Jose Alvarez – Shooting

Harold Fredericks – Shooting

Douglas Mast – Shooting

Robert McAuliff – Shooting

Adelbert Nico – Shooting

Salvador Sanpere – Shooting

Calhern George – Athletics (Track & Field)

John F. Foster – Yachting

Richard Griffin – Yachting

John Hamber – Yachting

Richard Holmberg – Yachting

Peter Jackson – Yachting

David Jones – Yachting

David Kelly – Yachting

Kenneth Klein – Yachting

1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics

Franklin Blyden – Athletics (Track & Field)

Carl Plaskett – Athletics (Track & Field)

John Hamber – Yachting

Rudy Thompson – Yachting

Per A. Dohm – Yachting

Liston Sprauve – Weightlifting

– Jennie Ogden, Editor

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