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| Country/Region |  Somalia |
|---|---|
| Code | SOM |
| Created | 1959 |
| Recognized | 1972 |
| Continental Association | ANOCA |
| Headquarters | Mogadishu |
| President | Abdullahi Ahmed Tarabi |
| Secretary General | Mohammad Abdo Hagi |
| Website | http://www.nocsom.com/so/ |
The Somali Olympic Committee (Somali : Guddiga Olimbikada Soomaaliyeed) is the National Olympic Committee representing Somalia. [1]
Somalia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. Since the civil war that broke out in the early 1990s, the Somali Olympic Committee has been supported by various factions centered on the capital of Mogadishu.
Hussein Ahmed Salah is a Djiboutian former long-distance runner, best known for winning a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also won silver medals in this event at the 1987 and 1991 World Championships. In addition, he won the 1985 IAAF World Marathon Cup. He also came second in the New York Marathon in 1985, and won the Paris Marathon in 1986.
Somalia sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was the African country's fifth appearance at a Summer Olympic Games, following their debut twenty-eight years earlier at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of two athletics competitors: Ibrahim Mohamed Aden and Safia Abukar Hussein, the latter was Somalia's first female Olympic athlete. Neither of the two participants progressed beyond the first round of their respective competitions.
Somalia competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. Somalia had missed out on the 1992 Games following the country's descent into lawlessness. The Somali National Olympic Committee sent a small delegation to the Atlanta Games, despite Somalia's still being without a government in 1996.
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.
Samia Yusuf Omar or Samiyo Omar was a sprinter from Somalia. She was one of two Somali athletes who competed for their nation at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Omar had grown up in Mogadishu, and trained there during the Somali Civil War despite receiving harassment from local militia groups. Her story at the Olympics was covered by the media, and her performance was well received by the crowd.
Somalia competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 August to 26 August 2010. The nation was represented by the Somali Olympic Committee, which sent a total of two athletes to compete in one sport, athletics. The flagbearer at the opening ceremony for the nation was athlete Abdulahi Kulow. Somalia's Olympic team was one of the 106 that did not win a single medal at the Games.
Sports in Somalia are regulated by the Ministry of Sports of Somalia. The government ministry works closely with the Somali Olympic Committee and various sports governing bodies, including the Somali Football Federation. Abdi Bile from Las Anod is Somalia's most decorated athlete in history; Abdi Bile also holds the highest number of Somali national records. The longest continuously serving national team captains of Somalia's two most popular sports, basketball and football, are Yusuf Qaafow and Hasan Babay respectively.
Somalia participated at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, which took place from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation in London marked its ninth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation included one short-distance sprinter and one long-distance runner: Mohamed Hassan Mohamed and Zamzam Mohamed Farah. Both qualified for the games through wildcard places from the International Association of Athletics Federations. Farah was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Mohamed and Farah failed to advance beyond the heat stage of their respective events.
Mohamed Hassan Mohamed is a Somali athlete.
Yasin Ali Egal is a former Somali footballer who played as a defender.
Faisal Jeylani Aweys is a Somali taekwondo practitioner.
Somali National Bandy Association is the governing body for the sports of bandy and rink bandy for Somalia. The organization was founded in 2013 and is formally a part of the Somali Olympic Committee. The same year, the Somalia national bandy team became the first squad from Africa to join the Federation of International Bandy. The team consists of Somalian nationals, mostly living in Sweden. It played in the 2014 Bandy World Championship.
Roda Ali Wais is a middle-distance athlete who competed for Djibouti before defecting to Australia.
Somalia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation at Rio de Janeiro marked its ninth in the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1972. The delegation included two track and field athletes: sprinter Maryan Nuh Muse and long-distance runner Mohamed Daud Mohamed, who was the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Neither athlete progressed past the first round of their respective competitions.
Somalia competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics nine times since the 1972 Games. The delegation consisted of a single middle-distance runner, Farhan Adawe, who qualified for the Games by meeting qualification standards in March 2016. He was chosen as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony and came ninth overall in his event, the men's 100 metres (T52), which led to his elimination from the Paralympics.
Somalia competed at the Paralympic Games for the first time in 2016, at the Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It sent one wheelchair athlete to compete in track and field events. Somalia has never taken part in the Winter Paralympic Games, and no athlete from this country has ever won a medal.
The Gadabuursi script also known as the Borama alphabet, is a writing script for the Somali language. It was devised around 1933 by Sheikh Abdurahman Sh. Nur of the Gadabuursi clan.
Somalia competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games have been postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1972.
During the evening of 19 August 2022, al-Shabaab gunmen attacked the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. Initially, two car bombs exploded. Gunmen then stormed the hotel, shooting people and taking hostages. At least 21 people were killed, and 117 others were wounded, fifteen of whom are in critical condition. The number of gunmen involved in the attack is currently unknown.
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| Other IOC Recognised Sports |
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| Zone 1 - North Zone | |
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| Zone 2 - West Zone A | |
| Zone 3 - West Zone B | |
| Zone 4 - Central Zone | |
| Zone 5 - Central-East Zone | |
| Zone 6 - Southern Zone A | |
| Zone 7 - Southern Zone B | |
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