Syria at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Syria at the 2016 Summer Olympics
IOC code	SYR
NOC	Syrian Olympic Committee
Website	www.syriaolymp.org (Arabic) (English)
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors	7 in 5 sports
Flag bearer	Majed Aldin Ghazal[1]
Medals	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 0 0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1948 1952–1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Other related appearances
United Arab Republic (1960)

Syria competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1948.

Syrian Olympic Committee sent a team of seven athletes, four men and three women, to compete in five different sports at the Games, matching the nation's roster size with Beijing 2008 and Atlanta 1996.^[2] This was also the youngest delegation in Syria's Olympic history, with about half the team under the age of 25, and many of them were expected to reach their peak in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Among the sports represented by the athletes, Syria marked its Olympic debut in table tennis, as well as its return to judo after a twelve-year absence.

The Syrian delegation featured four returning Olympians from the previous Games; among them were hurdler Ghfran Almouhamad and swimmers Bayan Jumah (women's 50 m freestyle) and American-based breaststroker Azad Al-Barazi. Attending his third Olympics as the oldest and most experienced competitor (aged 29), high jumper Majed Aldin Ghazal reprised his role of leading the Syrian team as the nation's flag bearer for the second consecutive time in the opening ceremony.^[3]

Syria, however, did not win any Olympic medals in Rio de Janeiro. The nation's last medal happened at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where heavyweight boxer Naser Al-Shami bagged the silver. Unable to end the podium drought in twelve years, Ghazal improved upon his twenty-eighth position from London 2012 to produce a more substantial finish for the Syrians, sharing a seventh-place tie with Cyprus' Kyriakos Ioannou and the Bahamas' Donald Thomas in the men's high jump final.^[4]

Athletics

Syrian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):^[5][6]

Key

• Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
• Q = Qualified for the next round
• q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
• NR = National record
• N/A = Round not applicable for the event
• Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Men

Field events

Athlete	Event	Qualification		Final
		Distance	Position	Distance	Position
Majed Aldin Ghazal	High jump	2.29	7 q	2.29	=7

Women

Track & road events

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Ghfran Almouhamad	400 m hurdles	58.85	8	Did not advance

Judo

Syria has received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send a judoka competing in the men's lightweight category (73 kg) to the Olympics, signifying the nation's Olympic return to the sport for the first time since 2004.

Athlete	Event	Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Repechage	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Mohamad Kasem	Men's −73 kg	Bye	An C-r (KOR) L 000–110	Did not advance

Swimming

Syria has received an Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.^[7][8][9]

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Azad Al-Barazi	Men's 100 m breaststroke	1:02.22	36	Did not advance
Bayan Jumah	Women's 50 m freestyle	26.41	=49	Did not advance

Table tennis

Syria has received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send Heba Alllejji in the women's singles for the first time to the Olympic table tennis tournament.^[10]

Athlete	Event	Preliminary	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Heba Allejji	Women's singles	Silva (MEX) L 0–4	Did not advance

Weightlifting

Syria has qualified one male weightlifter for the Rio Olympics by virtue of a top seven national finish at the 2016 Asian Championships.^[11] The team must allocate this place by June 20, 2016.^[12]

Athlete	Event	Snatch		Clean & Jerk		Total	Rank
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Man Asaad	Men's +105 kg	180	=17	220	=14	400	15

References

1. "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
2. "Meet The Syrian Athletes Who Dream Of Olympic Glory". Reuters. Huffington Post. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
3. "Despite war, Syrian athletes ready for Olympics". Al-Monitor. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
4. "Qatar leaps to first-ever Olympic silver". StepFeed. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
5. "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
6. "IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Rio 2016 Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
7. "Swimming World Rankings". FINA. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
8. "Men's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
9. "Women's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
10. Tepper, Glenn (19 May 2016). "Marcelo Aguirre and Heba Allejji Awarded Rio 2016 Olympic Games Tripartite Places". ITTF. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
11. "Continental Qualification current standing". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
12. "Rio 2016 Weightlifting – List of Athletes by Bodyweight Category" (pdf). International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 21 July 2016.