Got a list from Wikipedia of some countries that rarely have made the Olympics in the past. Interesting stuff. I bolded their best finish.
Italy:
1936 - Finished tied in 9th place
1948 - Finished in 8th place
1956 -
Finished in 7th place
1964 - Finished in 15th place
1984 - Finished in 9th place
1992 - Finished in 12th place
1994 - Finished in 9th place
1998 - Finished in 12th place
2006 - Finished in 11th place
-Was pretty consistent at attending the Olympics in the 90's and of course in Torino.
Japan:
1936 - Finished in 9th place (tied)
1960 -
Finished in 8th place
1964 - Finished in 11th place
1968 - Finished in 10th place
1972 - Finished in 9th place
1976 - Finished in 9th place
1980 - Finished in 12th place
1998 - Finished in 13th place
-Also consistent at attending Olympics, but never had much success.
France:
1920 –
Finished in 5th place
1924 – Finished tied for 5th place
1928 – Finished in 6th place
1936 – Finished tied in 9th place
1968 – Finished in 14th place
1988 – Finished in 11th place
1992 – Finished in 8th place
1994 – Finished in 10th place
1998 – Finished in 11th place
2002 – Finished in 14th place
-Had a consistent team going for a while.
Germany:
1928 – Finished in 9th place
1932 –
Won bronze medal
1936 – Finished tied in 5th place
1952 – Finished in 8th place
1956 – Finished in 6th place (United Team of Germany)
1960 – Finished in 6th place (United Team of Germany)
1964 – Finished in 7th place (United Team of Germany)
1968 – Finished in 7th place
1972 – Finished in 7th place
1976 –
Won bronze medal
1980 – Finished in 10th place
1984 – Finished in 5th place
1988 – Finished in 5th place
1992 – Finished in 6th place
1994 – Finished in 7th place
1998 – Finished in 9th place
2002 – Finished in 8th place
2006 – Finished in 10th place
2010 – Finished in 11th place
-Won bronze several times in their career.
Great Britain:
1924 - Won bronze medal
1928 - 4th place
1936 -
Won gold medal
1948 - 5th place
In 4 appearances, they have 2 medals, including a Gold. Averaging 3.25 finish.
Kazakhstan:
1998 –
Finished in 8th place
2006 – Finished in 9th place
-Interesting they've been in a couple. They also didn't qualify about 4/5 times though.
Also, if I missed any countries let me know and I'll add them in. Just got a few off the top of my head.