Ekaterini Thanou, also known as Katerina Thanou, is a Greek former sprinter. She won numerous medals in the 100 metres, including an Olympic silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, while she was the 2002 European champion in Munich, Germany. She had also been crowned world and European champion in the 60 metres at the indoor championships.
The Maldives competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, from 25 July to 9 August 1992. The delegation's participation in the Barcelona Olympics marked the Maldives' second appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Seven athletes competed across two sports; Ahmed Shageef, Mohamed Amir, Hussain Riyaz, Hussein Haleem and Aminath Rishtha in track and field, and Ahmed Imthiyaz and Mohamed Rasheed in swimming. None of the track or swimming athletes advanced past the first round in their events, and no Maldivian has won a medal in any events.
The Maldives competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, from 17 September to 2 October 1988. This marked their first time participating in the Olympic Games. Seven athletes competed in athletic events; Ismail Asif Waheed, Ahmed Shageef, Abdul Haji Abdul Latheef, Hussein Haleem Ibrahim Manik, Abdul Razzak Aboobakur and Mohamed Hanim in track and field. None of the athletes advanced past the first round in their events, and no Maldivian has won a medal at the Olympics. Hussein Haleem bore the Maldives' flag during the parade of nations of the opening ceremony.
ʻAbd al-Razzāq is a male Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words ʻabd and al-Razzāq, one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names. It means "servant of the all-provider".
Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri is a former Nigerian track and field athlete who specialized in long jump and sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medallist in the long jump and a world medalist in the 200 metres. Okagbare also holds the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games record at 10.85 seconds. She is currently serving a 10-year ban for breaching multiple World Athletics anti-doping rules. Her ban expires on 30 July 2032.
LaVerne Janet Jones-Ferrette is a sprinter from the United States Virgin Islands who specializes in the 100 and 200 meters. She represented her country at the Summer Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She won the silver medal over 60 meters at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in a time of 6.97 seconds; a subsequent drug test revealed a banned substance in her system and she was stripped of her medal.
The Maldives first participated at the Olympic Games in 1988. It has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since, but has not participated in the Winter Olympic Games.
The Maldives competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Beijing, China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The country's participation at the Beijing Olympics marked its seventh appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The delegation included four athletes, two in athletics, and two in swimming who participated in four distinct events. Its four athletes did not advance past the first round in each of their events. Aminath Rouya Hussain carried the Maldivian flag during the parade of nations of the opening ceremony with sprinter Ali Shareef being the flagbearer for the closing ceremony. The country failed to win an Olympic medal at these Games and has yet to win their first medal.
Iraq competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. As of late July, seven Iraqis—two rowers, a weightlifter, a sprinter, a discus thrower, a judoka and an archer—had qualified to compete in seven events in five sports at the Beijing Olympics, and twenty have qualified to take part in the Beijing Paralympics.
Alaa Hikmat Jassim Al-Qaysi, born September 14, 1985, is an Iraqi sprinter.
In 2010 there was no obvious, primary athletics championship, as neither the Summer Olympics nor the World Championships in Athletics occurred in the year. The foremost championships to be held in 2010 included: the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 2010 European Athletics Championships, 2010 African Championships in Athletics, and Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Saint Kitts and Nevis competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's fifth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.
Gulustan Mahmood Ieso, also known as Kolestan Mahmoud, is an Iraqi track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events. She holds a number of Iraqi records and helped win her country's first ever women's medals at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2011. She lost these medals as her doping sample at that competition came back positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine, receiving a one-year ban for the infraction.
At the 2011 Pan Arab Games, the athletics events are currently being held at Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar from 15 to 20 December. A total of 45 events are to be contested, comprising 23 men's events and 22 for female athletes. The track and field events took place within the stadium while the half marathon was contested on a specially-designed course around the Aspire Zone. The shorter track events have a two-round format with qualifying heats and a final race, while the long-distance races and throwing events are contested in a straight final format with no qualifying rounds. In addition to the elite level programme, a total of 30 para-athletics events were contested between athletes with a disability on 21 and 22 December, comprising 25 men's events and five women's events.
The Middle Eastern nation of Iraq competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Olympics since its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in the same host city.
Tuvalu competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its second appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of three competitors: two short-distance runners, Tavevele Noa and Asenate Manoa, and one weightlifter, Tuau Lapua Lapua. All three qualified for the games through wildcard places because they did not meet the qualification standards. Lapua was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony while Manoa carried it at the closing ceremony. Noa and Manoa failed to advance beyond the preliminary rounds of their events although the latter established a new national record for the women's 100 metres, while Lapua placed 12th in the men's featherweight weightlifting competition.
The Maldives competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo which were held from 23 July to 8 August 2021. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the nation's ninth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1988. The delegation consisted of four athletes, two men and two women, competing in four events across three sports. Two athletes participated in the swimming tournament: Mubal Azzam Ibrahim and Aishath Sajina. Athlete Hassan Saaid, a returning competitor from the 2016 Rio Olympics competed in the men's 100 m. Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq was the first badminton player the Maldives entered into the Olympic tournament since the 2012 London Olympics. For the first time, in an effort to promote gender equality, two flagbearers, one male and one female were allowed at the Olympics. Nabaaha and Mubal lead the Maldivian squad as the flagbearers in the opening ceremony. The Maldives, however, has yet to win its first ever Olympic medal.
The 2021 Arab Athletics Championships was the twenty second edition of the international athletics competition between Arab countries that took place from 16 to 20 June 2021 at Rades Athletic Stadium in Radès, close to Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Around 400 athletes from 18 nations attended the event.
Women's sport in Iraq has a long history, with many sports being played. Football (soccer) is among the most popular sport and hobby in Iraq. Many also participate in, but are not limited to, basketball, volleyball, tennis, taekwondo, and weightlifting. It is often seen as taboo when women involve in sports and other recreations as it is seen as inappropriate by the large conservative culture, yet in the Kurdistan region as well as the more urban cities of Iraq, such as Baghdad or Basra, society has become more accepting and supportive over time. Women are encouraged to dress and behave modestly, so the involvement of women in sports and the wearing of sports uniforms have been widely seen as taboo. Even with the growing support of women in sports, societal expectations still lead many women to play in secret or avoid sports altogether, which makes it harder for women to get involved in professional sports. Iraq was, at one point, a hub for athletics in the Middle East, but during Saddam Hussein's reign, involvement in sports declined. Sports in Iraq have faced many challenges over the past years, and only recently have sports committees and athletes, both men and women alike, begun to rebuild teams and strengthen involvement. Even then, the Ministry of Youth and Sports are often responsible for sponsoring sports teams and athletes, but they often lack the financial means to fully support them. The country's unstable history of dictatorship and war, as well as the growing trend of conservatism, have been recognized as reasons for weak, lacking, and in some cases nonactive and even nonexistent women's sports teams.
Hajar Eddou, also spelled Hajar Edaou, Hajer Edhou, or Hajar Eddaou, is a Moroccan sprinter specialising in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is a six-time Moroccan Athletics Championships winner and championship record-holder in the 100 m and 200 m. She was promoted to the bronze medal in the 100 m at the 2021 Arab Athletics Championships following the doping disqualification of the original winner.
