Swaziland at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Last updated

Eswatini at the
2016 Summer Olympics
Flag of Swaziland.svg
IOC code SWZ
NOC Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association
Website www.socga.org.sz
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors2 in 1 sport
Flag bearer Sibusiso Matsenjwa [1]
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

Swaziland competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation in Rio de Janeiro marked its tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1972. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Sibusiso Matsenjwa in the men's 200 metres and Phumlile Ndzinisa in the women's 100 metres. Both athletes participated at the Games through wildcard places since they did not meet the required standards to qualify. Neither athletes progressed past their heats, although Matsenjwa set a new national record.

Contents

Background

Swaziland participated in ten Summer Olympics between its debut in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The only occasions in that period which they did not attend was at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union. [2] On both occasions, it was because they had joined with international boycotts of the events. The first boycott was because of the inclusion of the New Zealand team at the Games despite the breach of the international sports boycott of South Africa by the nation's rugby union team shortly prior. [3] In 1980, Swaziland joined with the United States led boycott over the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. [4] The highest number of Swazis participating at any one Games was 11 at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea. No Swazi has ever won a medal at an Olympics. [2]

The Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association selected two athletes using wildcard slots. A National Olympic Committee was able to enter up to three qualified athletes in each individual event at the 2016 Games as long as each athlete met the "A" standard, or one athlete per event if they met the "B" standard. However, since Swaziland had no athletes that met either standard, they were allowed to select two athletes, one of each gender, as wildcards. [5] Swaziland was one of several countries who sent a delegation of two athletes in 2016, with only Tuvalu sending a single competitor. [6]

The Swazi team at the 2016 Games featured two track and field athletes returning from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom: sprinters Phumlile Ndzinisa in the women's 100 metres and Sibusiso Matsenjwa in the men's 200 metres. [7] The duo was announced by the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association Vice President Adam Mthethwa on 6 July 2016, and they would be accompanied by manager Thoba Mazibuko and physiotherapist Machawe Mamba. Mthethwa said "We are hopeful that the two will perform at their level best and they can break the national records and improve their personal best times". [7] Matsenjwa was selected to carry the nation's flag during the Parade of Nations in the opening ceremony. [8]

Athletics

Sibusiso "Swazibolt" Matsenjwa lines up for the 200 metres at the 2016 Summer Olympics Sibusiso Matsenjwa Rio2016.jpg
Sibusiso "Swazibolt" Matsenjwa lines up for the 200 metres at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Swaziland was represented by one male athlete at the 2016 Games in athletics – Sibusiso Matsenjwa, nicknamed the "Swazibolt". It marked his second appearance at an Olympic Games, after previously competing for Swaziland at the 2012 Games. In his first appearance, he finished sixth within his heat of the men's 200 metres and was eliminated from the competition. [9] He qualified for the 2016 using a wildcard spot, since his personal best time of 20.78 was 0.28 seconds slower than the "B" qualifying standard. [5] [10] At the 2016 Games, Matsenjwa competed on 16 August in the third heat. He placed sixth, [11] with a new national record of 20.63 seconds. [12] He finished ahead of Levi Cadogan of Barbados (21.02 seconds) and Ghana's Tega Odele (21.25 seconds), and was 0.44 seconds behind the winner of the heat, Salem Eid Yaqoob of Bahrain. Only the first two athletes progressed to the next round, and so it marked the only performance by Matsenjwa. [11]

The country's sole female athlete at the 2016 Games was Phumlile Ndzinisa, in the 100 metres. Previously at the 2012 Games, she had competed in the fourth heat, finishing in fifth position. [13] She also qualified for the 2016 Games using a wildcard spot, since her personal best time for the 100 metres of 11.35 seconds was 0.03 seconds slower than the "B" qualifying standard. [5] [14] At the 2016 Games, Ndzinisa competed on 12 August in the second heat, finishing fifth, with a time of 12.49 seconds. She was ahead of Taina Halasima of Tonga (12.8 seconds), Laenly Phoutthavong of Laos (12.82 seconds) and Lerissa Henry of Micronesia (13.53 seconds), but was 0.4 seconds behind Sunayna Wahi of Suriname, who won the heat. Since she failed to finish in the first two places, Ndzinisa's Olympics finished with that single run. [15]

Key
Track events
AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal
ResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRank
Sibusiso Matsenjwa Men's 200 m 20.63 NR 6—Did not advance
Phumlile Ndzinisa Women's 100 m 12.495Did not advance

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Swaziland". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Grasso, Mallon & Heijmans 2015, p. lxxv.
  4. ↑ Smith, Terence (20 January 1980). "The President Said Nyet". New York Times . Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Qualification System and Entry Standards" (PDF). International Association of Athletic Federations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Stewart, Megan. "Table for one? Meet the 10 smallest delegations at Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  7. 1 2 Magongo, Ntokozo (7 July 2016). "Phumlile, "Swazi Bolt" Off to Rio Olympic Games". Times of Swaziland . Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony – Flag Bearers" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Sibusiso Matsenjwa". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Subusiso Matsenjwa". International Association of Athletics Fenderation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Men's 200m – Standings". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  12. ↑ Masilela, Sibusiso (17 August 2016). "'Swazi Bolt' sets new national record". Swazi Observer . Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "Phumlile Ndzinisa". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Phumlile Ndzinisa". International Association of Athletics Fenderation. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Olympics-Athletics-Women's 100m preliminary round results". Reuters . 12 August 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldives at the 2004 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The Maldives competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. The delegation's participation in the Athens Olympics marked the Maldives' fifth appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Four athletes competed across two sports; Sultan Saeed and Shifana Ali in track and field, and Hassan Mubah and Aminath Rouya Hussain 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. Sultan Saeed bore the Maldives' flag during the parade of nations of the opening ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad at the 2004 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Chad competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. The country's participation at Athens marked its tenth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. The delegation included two track and field athletes; Djikoloum Mobele in the men's 100 metres and Kaltouma Nadjina in the women's 400 metres. Both athletes participated at the Games through wild card places since they did not meet the required standards to qualify. Nadjina progressed past the first round of her competition, but was eliminated in the semi-finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Togo at the 2004 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Togo competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. The country's participation at Athens marked its seventh appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, West Germany. The delegation included two track and field athletes and a single canoeist; Jan Sekpona in the men's 800 metres, Sandrine Thiébaud-Kangni in the women's 400 metres, and Benjamin Boukpeti in the men's K-1. Both Sekpona and Thiébaud-Kangni were eliminated in the first round of their competitions, while Boukpeti progressed to the semi-finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equatorial Guinea at the 2000 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Equatorial Guinea participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, which was held from 15 September to 1 October 2000. The country's participation in Sydney marked its fifth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included one middle-distance runner, one short-distance sprinter and two swimmers: José Luis Ebatela Nvo, Mari Paz Mosanga Motanga, Eric Moussambani and Paula Barila Bolopa respectively. All four athletes qualified for the games through wildcard places. Moussambani was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. The four athletes were unable to advance beyond the first rounds of their respective events, with Moussambani and Bolopa attracting attention for their poor performances, but were applauded by the crowds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi at the 2000 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Malawi competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The country's participation marked its sixth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1972 Games. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Francis Munthali in the men's 1500 metres and Catherine Chikwakwa in the women's 5000 metres. Both athletes participated at the Games through wild card places since they did not meet the required standards to qualify. Neither athletes progressed past their heats.

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

Swaziland sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8–24, 2008. This was the Kingdom's eighth appearance at a Summer Olympic Games. The Swazi delegation to Beijing consisted of four competitors, two track and field athletes; Isaiah Msibi and Temalangeni Dlamini; and two swimmers; Luke Hall and Senele Dlamini. None of the four advanced beyond the first round of their respective events.

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

Equatorial Guinea competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, which was held from 8 to 24 August 2008. The country's participation at London marked its seventh appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included the sprinter Reginaldo Ndong, middle-distance runner Emilia Mikue Ondo and half-middleweight judoka José Mba Nchama. Ndong and Mikue Ondo qualified for the Games through wildcard places and Mba Nchama entered through his ranking at the 2007 African Judo Championships. Mikue Ondo was chosen as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Ndong and Mikue Ondo progressed no farther than the first round of their respective events and Mba Nchama was eliminated from contention in the second round of the contest.

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

Comoros competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its fifth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1996 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Maoulida Darouèche and Feta Ahamada, and one swimmer, Ayouba Ali Sihame, all three qualified for the Games through wildcard places. Ahamada was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony and Darouèche held it at the closing ceremony. Ahamada won her heat in the preliminary round of the women's 100 metres but was eliminated in the heat stages, while Darouèche and Sihame did not advance beyond the first round of their respective events.

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

The Gambia 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 included two athletes, Suwaibou Sanneh and Saruba Colley, the former had qualified by setting a qualifying time that fell within the required standard and the latter entered via a wildcard place. Sanneh was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Sanneh became the first Gambian athlete to advance into the semi-finals of the men's 100 metres, while Colley was eliminated after the quarter-final stages of the Women's 100 metres.

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

Nepal 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 twelfth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1964 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes; Tilak Ram Tharu and Pramila Rijal, one shooter Sneh Rana and two swimmers; Prasiddha Jung Shah and Shreya Dhital; all five competitors qualified for the Games through wildcard places from their respective sporting governing bodies. It was the smallest delegation sent by Nepal since the 1992 Summer Olympics. Shah was selected as the flag bearer for the opening and closing ceremonies. Four of the five athletes were unable to progress beyond the first stages of their respective events while Rana finished 54th in the women's 10 metre air rifle shooting competition.

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

Tonga participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, which were held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation in London marked its eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included three competitors: two in athletics, Joseph Andy Lui and ʻAna Poʻuhila, along with one short distance swimmer Amini Fonua. The latter entry was Tonga's first appearance in Olympic swimming competition. Lui and Fonua qualified through wildcard places while Po'uhila made the games by meeting qualification standards. Fonua was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony while Lui held it at the closing ceremony. Lui and Fonua failed to progress farther than the preliminary round of their respective events while Po'uhila finished 29th in the heat stage of the women's shot put contest.

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

The Asian island nation of the Maldives competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Olympics, the delegation consisted of two athletes each in track and field and swimming. For the first time since their debut at the Summer Olympics, the Maldives entered one badminton player into the Olympics. Mohamed Ajfan Rasheed, the inaugural Maldivian badminton player to compete at the Olympics, was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony with Azneem Ahmed carrying the Maldivian flag in the closing ceremony. All the athletes qualified for the games through wild cards from International Association of Athletic Federations FINA and Badminton World Federation. The Maldives however, has yet to win its first ever Olympic medal.

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

Malawi 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 ninth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes; Mike Tebulo and Ambwene Simukonda, and one swimmer; Joyce Tafatatha. Tebulo and Simukonda qualified through wildcard places for their respective events. Tebulo was selected as the flag bearer for the opening and closing ceremonies. Tebulo finished 44th in the men's marathon, while Simukonda did not advance beyond the first round of the women's 400 metres. Tafatatha won her heat in the women's 50 metre freestyle but her time was not fast enough to allow her to progress into the semi-finals of the event.

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

Eswatini (Swaziland) 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 ninth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Sibusiso Matsenjwa and Phumlile Ndzinisa, and one swimmer, Luke Hall; the first two competitors qualified for the Games through wildcard places while Hall was awarded a universality place by FINA. Hall was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony and Matensjwa held it for the closing ceremony. All three competitors did not advance further than the heat stages of their respective events.

Phumlile Sibonakele Ndzinisa is a Swazi athlete. She competed in the 400 m event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London where she was eliminated in the first round, but broke the national women's 400m record with 53.95 seconds.

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

Belize competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's twelfth appearance at the Olympic Games, although it had previously appeared in two early editions under the name "British Honduras". Belize joined the United States-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics hosted in Moscow, Russia. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Brandon Jones and Katy Sealy, as well as judoka Renick James. All three athletes made their Olympic debut. Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association appointed 200 metres sprinter Brandon Jones to carry the nation's flag in the opening ceremony. Belize, however, has yet to win its first Olympic medal.

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

Chad competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation in Rio de Janeiro marked its twelfth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1964. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Bachir Mahamat in the men's 400 metres and Bibiro Ali Taher in the women's 5000 metres. Both athletes participated at the Games through wild card places since they did not meet the required standards to qualify. Neither athletes progressed past their heats.

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

Equatorial Guinea competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which was held from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation at Rio marked its ninth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes, Benjamin Enzema and Reïna-Flor Okori who both qualified for the Games through wildcard places since their fastest times did not meet the required qualification standards, Okori was selected as the flag bearer for the opening and closing ceremonies. Enzema did not advance beyond the qualification round for the men's 800 metres event and Okori was unable to start the women's 100 metre hurdles contest.

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

Brunei, officially known as Brunei Darussalam, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Brunei failed to register any athletes in two editions of the Games: 1992 in Barcelona and 2008 in Beijing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eswatini at the 2019 African Games</span> Sporting event delegation

Eswatini competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. The country competed in two sports, athletics and Taekwondo, and did not win any medals.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.