Iraq at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Iraq at the Olympics
IOC code	IRQ
NOC	National Olympic Committee of Iraq
Website
Medals Ranked 149th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 1 1
Summer appearances
1948 1952–1956 1960 1964 1968 1972–1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020

Iraq first joined the Olympic Games in 1948. These games are a big international sports event held every four years. Iraq did not take part in the 1952 Olympics. They also boycotted, or refused to join, the 1956 games. This was because they were against the Suez Crisis, a political event at the time.

Iraq returned to the Olympics in 1960 and won a bronze medal. This was at the Summer Olympics in Rome. After competing in the next three games, Iraq did not appear in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. They boycotted these games to protest against apartheid South Africa. Apartheid was a system of racial separation. Iraq was one of the first non-African countries to join this boycott. Since 1980, Iraq has taken part in every Olympic Games.

On April 9, 2003, the building for the National Olympic Committee of Iraq in Baghdad was damaged. It was affected by looting and fires. However, Iraq's Olympic sports program recovered quickly. They were able to compete in the Athens Olympics the very next year. The Iraq football team almost won a bronze medal there. But they were defeated by Italy in the match for the bronze medal. Iraq has never competed in the Winter Olympic Games.

Iraq has won only one medal since they started joining the games. This was a bronze medal in weightlifting at the 1960 Summer Olympics. The National Olympic Committee of Iraq has represented the country in the Olympics.

Iraq's Olympic Medals

Iraq has a history of participating in the Summer Olympics. They have sent athletes to many games over the years. The table below shows how Iraq has performed in different Summer Olympics.

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1948 London	12	0	0	0	0	-
1952 Helsinki	did not participate
1956 Melbourne
1960 Rome	21	0	0	1	1	41
1964 Tokyo	13	0	0	0	0	-
1968 Mexico City	3	0	0	0	0	-
1972 Munich	did not participate
1976 Montreal
1980 Moscow	43	0	0	0	0	-
1984 Los Angeles	23	0	0	0	0	-
1988 Seoul	27	0	0	0	0	-
1992 Barcelona	8	0	0	0	0	-
1996 Atlanta	3	0	0	0	0	-
2000 Sydney	4	0	0	0	0	-
2004 Athens	24	0	0	0	0	-
2008 Beijing	4	0	0	0	0	-
2012 London	8	0	0	0	0	-
2016 Rio de Janeiro	24	0	0	0	0	-
2020 Tokyo	3	0	0	0	0	-
2024 Paris	22	0	0	0	0	-
2028 Los Angeles	future event
Total		0	0	1	1	151

Medals by Sport

Iraq has won its only Olympic medal in one specific sport.

List of Medalists

Here is the athlete who won an Olympic medal for Iraq:

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
Bronze	Abdul Wahid Aziz	1960 Rome	Weightlifting	Men's Lightweight

See also

In Spanish: Irak en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• Abdul-Wahid Aziz
• Iraq at the Paralympics
• List of flag bearers for Iraq at the Olympics