| Saudi Arabia at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | KSA |
| NOC | Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee |
| Website | olympic |
| Medals Ranked 120th |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
Saudi Arabia has competed in twelve Summer Olympic Games. They first appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Saudi Arabia made their debut in the Winter Olympics in 2022.
Prior to June 2012, Saudi Arabia banned female athletes from competing at the Olympics. [1] [2] However, following the International Olympic Committee pressuring the Saudi Olympic Committee to send female athletes to the 2012 Summer Olympics, in June 2012 the Saudi Embassy in London announced this had been agreed. [3] [4]
There were calls for Saudi Arabia to be barred from the Olympics until it permitted women to compete, notably from Anita DeFrantz, chair of the International Olympic Committee's Women and Sports Commission, in 2010. [5] In 2008, Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, likewise called for Saudi Arabia to be barred from the Games, describing its ban on women athletes as a violation of the International Olympic Committee charter. Stating that gender discrimination should be no more acceptable than racial discrimination, he noted: "For the last 15 years, many international nongovernmental organizations worldwide have been trying to lobby the IOC for better enforcement of its own laws banning gender discrimination. [...] While [its] efforts did result in increasing numbers of women Olympians, the IOC has been reluctant to take a strong position and threaten the discriminating countries with suspension or expulsion." [6]
Dalma Rushdi Malhas competed at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics and won a bronze medal in equestrian (see Saudi Arabia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics). Saudi Arabia agreed on July 12, 2012, to send two women to compete in that year's Games in London, England: the two female athletes were Wojdan Shaherkani in judo, and 800-meter runner Sarah Attar. [7]
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Munich | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1976 Montreal | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980 Moscow | did not participate | |||||
| 1984 Los Angeles | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988 Seoul | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1992 Barcelona | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1996 Atlanta | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2000 Sydney | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 61 |
| 2004 Athens | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008 Beijing | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012 London | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 79 |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2020 Tokyo | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 77 |
| 2024 Paris | future event | |||||
| 2028 Los Angeles | ||||||
| 2032 Brisbane | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 118 | |
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Beijing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2026 Milan–Cortina | future event | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Athletics | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Karate | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals (3 entries) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Medal | Name | Games | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Silver | Hadi Al-Somaily | 2000 Sydney |  Athletics | Men's 400 metre hurdles |
 Bronze | Khaled Al Eid | 2000 Sydney |  Equestrian | Individual show jumping |
| Bronze | Ramzy Al Duhami Abdullah Al Saud Kamal Bahamdan Abdullah Sharbatly | 2012 London | Equestrian | Team jumping |
| Silver | Tareg Hamedi | 2020 Tokyo |  Karate | Men's +75 kg |
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories participating; by default the Games generally substitute for any World Championships the year in which they take place. The Olympic Games are held every four years; since 1994, they have been alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year period.
The Olympic Charter is a set of rules and guidelines for the organisation of the Olympic Games, and for governing the Olympic movement. Its last revision was on the 17th of July 2020 during the 136th IOC Session, held by video conference. Adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it is the codification of the fundamental principles, rules and by-laws. French and English are the official languages of the Olympic Charter.
Competitors at the Olympic Games have used banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs.
Afghanistan has competed in 15 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 14 of the 19 subsequent Summer Games since then. It is organised by the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, which is currently presided by Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen.
Qatar has competed in 10 Summer Olympic Games. They have never competed in the Winter Olympic Games. Their first ever Olympic gold medal was won by Fares El-Bakh in weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics, followed by a gold medal for Mutaz Essa Barshim in men's high jump. They have also won one silver and four bronze medals.
Brunei, as Brunei Darussalam, first participated at the Olympic Games in 1988, with a single official but no athletes. The nation returned and sent athletes to compete in the Summer Olympic Games in 1996, 2000 and 2004. On each occasion, it was represented by a single athlete. Brunei has never won an Olympic medal and not participated in the Winter Olympic Games.
Somalia first participated at the Olympic Games at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, West Germany; the Somali Olympic Committee being recognised by the International Olympic Committee shortly prior. The nation has sent athletes to compete in most Summer Olympic Games since then, boycotting in 1976 due to the inclusion of New Zealand, and in 1980 when it joined with the American-led boycott. It also did not compete in 1992 due to the ongoing effects of a famine. Somalia entered their largest contingent of athletes at the 1984 Summer Olympics, a total of seven.
Saudi Arabia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. As in years past, Saudi Arabia sent only male representatives to Beijing. The International Olympic Committee is reportedly pressuring the Saudi Olympic Committee to send female athletes to the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee representing Saudi Arabia.
Afghanistan is a member of the Central Asian Zone of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and has participated in the Asian Games since their inception in 1951. The Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, established in 1935 and recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1936, is the National Olympic Committee for Afghanistan.
Saudi Arabia made its Paralympic Games début at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, with two competitors in powerlifting. The country has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics, but has never entered the Winter Paralympics. All Saudis have competed in athletics or powerlifting.
Saudi Arabia participated in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.
Saudi Arabia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's tenth appearance at the Olympics, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of its partial support to the United States boycott.
Qatar 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 eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation sent by the Qatar Olympic Committee consisted of twelve athletes in athletics, shooting, swimming and table tennis. The 2012 Games marked the first time Qatar sent female athletes to the Olympic Games; following the 2008 Summer Olympics, it had been one of only three countries, along with Saudi Arabia and Brunei, to never have done so.
Dalma Malhas is an equestrian. She was supposed to be the first Saudi female athlete to compete at the Summer Olympics.
The national federation was created in 1956 and became a FIFA affiliate in 1956. However women's football is not included in the country's FIFA coordinated Goals! project. By 2011, inside the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, there has been an effort to create women's football programs at universities. Input had been sought on how to do this from other national federations including ones from the United States, Germany, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
Sarah Attar is a Saudi-American track and field athlete who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the first two female Olympians representing Saudi Arabia. She also competed in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics.
Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani is a Saudi judoka who was one of two women selected to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the first woman to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics.
Women's sport in Saudi Arabia has been a controversial topic for many years due to the suppression of female participation in sport by conservative Islamic religious authorities.
The rate of participation of women in the Olympic Games has been increasing since their first participation in 1900. Some sports are uniquely for women, others are contested by both sexes, while some older sports remain for men only. Studies of media coverage of the Olympics consistently show differences in the ways in which women and men are described and the ways in which their performances are discussed. The representation of women on the International Olympic Committee has run well behind the rate of female participation, and it continues to miss its target of a 20% minimum presence of women on their committee.
