Afghanistan at the Olympics
Template:Infobox Olympics Afghanistan
Afghanistan has competed in 13 Summer Games. They have never appeared in any Winter Games.
The country made its first appearance at the Berlin Games in 1936. It has sent a delegation to 13 of the 18 Summer Games since then.
Afghanistan did not send a team to the Barcelona Games in 1992, and sent only two representatives to the Atlanta Games in 1996. Light-middleweight boxer Mohammad Jawid Aman was disqualifed after he arrived too late for the mandatory weigh-in and draw, which left marathon runner Abdul Baser Wasiqi as the country's sole representative. Wasiqi injured a hamstring muscle before the race, but competed nonetheless, literally limping his way through the marathon and finishing last.[1]
Afghanistan was suspended by the IOC in 1999 and subsequently banned from the Sydney Games in 2000 due to its discrimination against women under the rule of the Taliban and its prohibition of sports of any kind. The country was re-instated in 2002, following the fall of the Taliban,[2] and sent five representatives to the Athens Games in 2004.
Among them were two women, Robina Muqim Yaar and Friba Razayee, the first ever women to compete for Afghanistan at the Olympics.[3]
Afghanistan sent a team of four competitors,[4] including three men and one woman, Mehboba Ahdyar,[5] to the Beijing Games of 2008. Ahdyar has received death threats due to her intended participation in the Games.[4]
Afghanistan won their first summer Olympic medal during the 2008 Beijing games, with Rohullah Nikpai winning a bronze in men's Taekwondo 58 kg, and their second at the 2012 Games with another bronze for Nikpai in the men's 68 kg taekwondo event.[6]
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 Berlin | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1948 London | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1952 Helsinki | did not participate | |||||
| 1956 Melbourne | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1960 Rome | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1964 Tokyo | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1968 Mexico City | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972 Munich | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1976 Montreal | did not participate | |||||
| 1980 Moscow | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1984 Los Angeles | did not participate | |||||
| 1988 Seoul | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992 Barcelona | did not participate | |||||
| 1996 Atlanta | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000 Sydney | did not participate | |||||
| 2004 Athens | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008 Beijing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 80 |
| 2012 London | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 79 |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020 Tokyo | Future event | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 138 | |
Medals by summer sport
| Rank | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Taekwondo |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 29 |
| Total* | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 138 |
Updated on August 24, 2016
Note: Afghanistan was banned from the Olympics in 1999 for its discrimination against women under the Taliban regime at the time.
List of medalists
| Medal | Name | Games | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bronze |
Rohullah Nikpai | 2008 Beijing |  Taekwondo |
Men's 58 kg |
| Bronze |
Rohullah Nikpai | 2012 London | Taekwondo |
Men's 68 kg |
See also
- List of participating nations at the Summer Olympic Games
- Category:Olympic competitors for Afghanistan
- Afghanistan at the Paralympics
- Afghanistan at the Asian Games
References
- ^ "Taleban hope to get ban revoked", Reuters, August 17, 2000
- ^ "A Run to The Future", Time, April 11, 2004
- ^ "Afghan women's Olympic dream", BBC, June 22, 2004
- ^ a b "Afghan Athletes Train for Beijing Olympic ", Afghan embassy to the United States, April 29, 2008
- ^ "Afghan Woman Runs Toward Olympics Despite Jeers, Potential Danger", Associated Press, March 16, 2008
- ^ Afghanistan at the Olympics, The Telegraph
External links
- "Afghanistan". International Olympic Committee.
- Template:IOC medals
- "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee.
- "Afghanistan". Sports-Reference.com.
- Afghan Sports History
