Albania at the Olympics

Last updated
Albania at the
Olympics
Flag of Albania.svg
IOC code ALB
NOC Albanian National Olympic Committee
Website nocalbania.org.al  (in Albanian)
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer appearances
Winter appearances

Albania first participated at the Summer Olympic Games in 1972. They missed the next four games, three of them for political reasons due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, 1984 Summer Olympics boycott and 1988 boycotts, but returned for the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics. They have appeared in all games since then. They made their Winter Olympic Games debut in 2006. [1] Albania normally competes in events that include swimming, athletics, weightlifting, shooting, and wrestling. The country has not yet won any Olympic medal. Along with Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta and Monaco, Albania is one of five current European participants that have never won an Olympic medal. They have been represented by the Albanian National Olympic Committee since 1972.

Contents

History

In their Pre-Olympic History Albania participated in Olympic qualifying for the first time in 1964. The Albanians faced Bulgaria in the opening round, losing both matches 1–0 and failing to qualify for the next round. [2] It wasn't until the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich that Albania made another attempt to qualify. Facing Romania in the opening round, they lost both legs 2–1, despite goals from Medin Zhega and Panajot Pano, respectively. It is to this day Albania's last participation for an Olympic Football Tournament so far. [3]

Albania first officially competed at the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics with five participants over two events; Fatos Pilkati and Afërdita Tusha in the mixed 50 metre free pistol, Ismail Rama and Beqir Kosova in the mixed 50 metre rifle, prone, and Ymer Pampuri in the men's 60 kg weightlifting. [4] who in the 1972 Summer Olympic Games became the first Albanian to break an Olympic record, in military press, since the discipline was no longer allowed to be practiced internationally after 1972 [5] In the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics: Alma Qeramixhi competed in the heptathlon; Kristo Robo in the 25 metre rapid fire pistol; Enkelejda Shehu in the 25 metre pistol; Frank Leskaj in the 50 metre freestyle, 100 metre freestyle, and 100 metre breaststroke; Sokol Bishanaku and Fatmir Bushi in the under 67.5 kg weightlifting; and Dede Dekaj in the under 110 kg weightlifting. [6] For the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Albania had seven athletes4 female and 3 male. Mirela Manjani were the flag bearer for the Olympic Games in that year. [7] At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Albania's delegation consisted of two male and two female athletes. [8] They had seven competitors (two female, five male) in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. [9] In Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the nation had eleven athletes (four female and seven male). [10] For the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Albania had nine athletes consisting of three women and six men. [11] Romela Begaj the flag bearer for Albania at the 2012 Summer Olympics would compete in Weightlifting at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 58 kg category finishing in 9th at the end, after lifting 216 kg in total. Briken Calja would achieve the best result for Albania at the 2012 Summer Olympics in which he would finish 6th in Weightlifting at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 69 kg after lifting 320 kg.

Briken Calja competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 69kg division where he finished in 5th place after lifting 326 kg. [12] Briken Calja would compete at the following 2020 Summer Olympics in the 73kg division. The European Weightlifting champion in 2018 would finish in 4th after lifting. [13] It would be the best result in the History for Albania at the Summer Olympics.

In the 2020 Summer Olympics Luiza Gega wrote history for Albania. As she would be the first athlete from Albania, to qualify for the finals in Athletics at the Summer Olympics. After she finished 5th in Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 3000 metres steeplechase with a time of 9:23.85 in the end enough to progress to the finals. [14] At the final run, she would finish in 13th.

As of 2024 Albania has no Olympic medalists.

Medalists from Albania at the Olympic Games

Albania remains without a medal win, although Albanians competing for different nations would win medals in other Olympic Games: [15]

There were plenty of ethnic Albanians who did compete for Yugoslavia at the Summer Olympics and would win medals in various sport competitions as well:

In total the Albanian athletes winning 14 Medals at the Summer Olympics in which of them being four gold, two silver and six bronze medals in various sports competitions, for several different countries, in the history.

Medal tables

Flagbearers

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yugoslavia at the 1984 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo at the Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania at the 2008 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Summer Olympics medal table</span> Award

The following medal table is a list of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and one non-NOC team ranked by the number of gold medals won by their athletes during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majlinda Kelmendi</span> Kosovo-Albanian judoka

Majlinda Kelmendi is a Kosovan-Albanian former judoka and judo coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Kosovo at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

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Nora Gjakova is a Kosovar judoka. She received a gold medal after winning the women's 57 kg judo competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. In August 2021, she was awarded the Honor of the Nation Decoration of Albania by the President of Albania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania at the Mediterranean Games</span> Sporting event delegation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania at the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Albania at the games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distria Krasniqi</span> Kosovan judoka (born 1995)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo at the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Kosovo at the games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo

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References

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