Syria at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Syria at the
2016 Summer Olympics
IOC codeSYR
NOCSyrian Olympic Committee
Websitewww.syriaolymp.org (in Arabic and English)
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors7 in 5 sports
Flag bearer Majed Aldin Ghazal[1]
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
 United Arab Republic (1960)

Syria competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1948.

Syrian Olympic Committee sent a team of seven athletes, four men and three women, to compete in five different sports at the Games, matching the nation's roster size with Beijing 2008 and Atlanta 1996.[2] This was also the youngest delegation in Syria's Olympic history, with about half the team under the age of 25, and many of them were expected to reach their peak in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Among the sports represented by the athletes, Syria made its Olympic debut in table tennis, as well as its return to judo after a twelve-year absence.

The Syrian delegation featured four returning Olympians from the previous Games; among them were hurdler Ghfran Almouhamad and swimmers Bayan Jumah (women's 50 m freestyle) and American-based breaststroker Azad Al-Barazi. Attending his third Olympics as the oldest and most experienced competitor (aged 29), high jumper Majed Aldin Ghazal reprised his role of leading the Syrian team as the nation's flag bearer for the second consecutive time in the opening ceremony.[3]

Syria, however, did not win any Olympic medals in Rio de Janeiro. The nation's last medal happened at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where heavyweight boxer Naser Al-Shami bagged the silver. Unable to end the podium drought in twelve years, Ghazal improved upon his twenty-eighth position from London 2012 to produce a more substantial finish for the Syrians, sharing a seventh-place tie with Cyprus' Kyriakos Ioannou and the Bahamas' Donald Thomas in the men's high jump final.[4]

As well as the country's official representatives, a number of Syrians participated in the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Independent Paralympic Athletes at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, including swimmer Yusra Mardini[5][6] and Paralympic swimmer Ibrahim Al Hussein, who carried the Olympic flame through the Eleonas refugee camp.[7] (Mardini and her sister Sara inspired the Netflix film The Swimmers.[8])

Athletics

Main articles: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Syrian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[9][10]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Ghofrane Mohammad Women's 400 m hurdles 58.85 8 Did not advance
Field events
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Majed Aldin Ghazal Men's high jump 2.29 7 q 2.29 =7

Judo

Main articles: Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Syria has received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send a judoka competing in the men's lightweight category (73 kg) to the Olympics, signifying the nation's Olympic return to the sport for the first time since 2004.

Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Rank
Mohamad Kasem Men's −73 kg Bye  An C-r (KOR)
L 000–110 		Did not advance

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Syria has received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.[11][12][13]

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Azad Al-Barazi Men's 100 m breaststroke 1:02.22 36 Did not advance
Bayan Jumah Women's 50 m freestyle 26.41 =49 Did not advance

Table tennis

Main articles: Table tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Table tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Syria has received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send Heba Alllejji in the women's singles for the first time to the Olympic table tennis tournament.[14]

Athlete Event Preliminary Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final / BM
Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Rank
Heba Allejji Women's singles  Silva (MEX)
L 0–4 		Did not advance

Weightlifting

Main articles: Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Syria has qualified one male weightlifter for the Rio Olympics by virtue of a top seven national finish at the 2016 Asian Championships.[15] The team must allocate this place by June 20, 2016.[16]

Athlete Event Snatch Clean & Jerk Total Rank
Result Rank Result Rank
Man Asaad Men's +105 kg 180 =17 220 =14 400 15

References

  1. ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Meet The Syrian Athletes Who Dream Of Olympic Glory". Reuters. Huffington Post. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Despite war, Syrian athletes ready for Olympics". Al-Monitor. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Qatar leaps to first-ever Olympic silver". StepFeed. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  5. ^ Fleming, Rory (18 July 2024). "Inspired by Muhammad Ali, meet the judo star who fled civil war conscription in Syria and will now compete at the Paris Olympics". CNN. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  6. ^ "From Syria to the Olympics, Refugee Tells How She Swam for Her Life". Voice of America. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Syria refugee carries Olympic flame though migrant camp in Greece". BBC News. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  8. ^ Syed, Armani (23 November 2022). "The Inspiring True Story Behind 'The Swimmers'". TIME. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  10. ^ "IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Rio 2016 Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Swimming World Rankings". FINA. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Men's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Women's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  14. ^ Tepper, Glenn (19 May 2016). "Marcelo Aguirre and Heba Allejji Awarded Rio 2016 Olympic Games Tripartite Places". ITTF. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  15. ^ "Continental Qualification current standing". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Rio 2016 Weightlifting – List of Athletes by Bodyweight Category" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 21 July 2016.