Saudi Arabia at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saudi Arabia at the Olympics
IOC code	KSA
NOC	Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee
Website
Medals Ranked 120th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 2 2 4
Summer appearances
1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018

Saudi Arabia is a country that has taken part in the Olympic Games many times. They have competed in twelve Summer Olympic Games. Their first time was in 1972 at the Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Saudi Arabia also joined the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in 2022.

Women Athletes at the Olympics

Sarah Attar was one of the first two Saudi Arabian women to compete in the Olympics in 2012. She also ran in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics.

For a long time, Saudi Arabia did not allow female athletes to compete in the Olympics. But in June 2012, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) encouraged Saudi Arabia to send women athletes. The Saudi Olympic Committee then agreed to do so.

Before this, some people, like Anita DeFrantz from the IOC, asked for Saudi Arabia to be stopped from competing. This was because they did not let women join. In 2008, Ali Al-Ahmed also said Saudi Arabia should be banned. He felt that stopping women from competing went against the Olympic rules. He said that treating people differently because of their gender is wrong, just like treating them differently because of their race.

In 2010, Dalma Rushdi Malhas won a bronze medal in horse riding at the Youth Olympics. This was a big step! Then, on July 12, 2012, Saudi Arabia decided to send two women to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. These athletes were Wojdan Shaherkani in judo and Sarah Attar who ran the 800-meter race.

Olympic Medals Won by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has won a few medals at the Olympic Games. Let's look at how they did in different years and sports.

Medals from Summer Games

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	39	0	0	0	0	–
1988 Seoul	9	0	0	0	0	-
1992 Barcelona	9	0	0	0	0	-
1996 Atlanta	32	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	18	0	0	1	1	79
2016 Rio de Janeiro	11	0	0	0	0	-
2020 Tokyo	33	0	1	0	1	77
2024 Paris	8	0	0	0	0	-
2028 Los Angeles	future event
Total		0	2	2	4	123

Medals from Winter Games

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
2022 Beijing	1	0	0	0	0	-
2026 Milan/Cortina	future event
Total		0	0	0	0	-

Medals by Sport

Saudi Arabia has won medals in three different sports: Athletics, Equestrian (horse riding), and Karate.

List of Medal Winners

Here are the amazing athletes who have won Olympic medals for Saudi Arabia:

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
2 Silver	Hadi Al-Somaily	2000 Sydney	Athletics	Men's 400 meter hurdles
3 Bronze	Khaled Al Eid	2000 Sydney	Equestrian	Individual show jumping
3 Bronze	Ramzy Al Duhami Abdullah Al Saud Kamal Bahamdan Abdullah Sharbatly	2012 London	Equestrian	Team jumping
2 Silver	Tareg Hamedi	2020 Tokyo	Karate	Men's +75 kg

Learn More

In Spanish: Arabia Saudita en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• List of flag bearers for Saudi Arabia at the Olympics
• Saudi Arabia at the Paralympics