Somalia at the Olympics Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Somalia at the
Olympics

SOM

Somali Olympic Committee

Medals

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
0	0	0	0

Summer appearances

1972
1976–1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020

Somalia first joined the Olympic Games at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, West Germany. This happened shortly after the Somali Olympic Committee was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Since then, Somalia has sent athletes to compete in most Summer Olympic Games.

However, Somalia did not participate in some Games. They boycotted the 1976 Games because New Zealand was allowed to compete, even though New Zealand's rugby team had played in South Africa during a time when many countries were boycotting South Africa due to its unfair laws. Somalia also boycotted the 1980 Games along with many other countries led by the United States after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. In 1992, Somalia could not compete due to a severe food shortage in the country. Somalia sent its largest team of seven athletes to the 1984 Summer Olympics. No athlete representing Somalia has ever won an Olympic medal, and Somalia has not yet competed in the Winter Olympics.

Somali Athletes Competing for Other Countries
Somalia's Olympic Committee
Somalia's Olympic Journey
Olympic Medal Summary
See also

Somali Athletes Competing for Other Countries

Because of the ongoing Somali Civil War, it has been hard for athletes to train in Somalia. Many have moved away and now compete for other countries. A famous example is Mo Farah, who was born in Somalia but has won four gold medals for Great Britain.

Many Somali-born athletes who now live abroad have become very good at long-distance running. Some of these runners who represent other countries include:

Bashir Abdi, who competes for Belgium
Abdi Nageeye, who competes for the Netherlands
Abdi Hakin Ulad, who competes for Denmark
Mustafa Mohamed, who competes for Sweden
Mohammed Ahmed, who competes for Canada
Mo Farah, who competes for the United Kingdom
Abdihakem Abdirahman, who competes for the United States
Hassan Mead, who competes for the United States

Somalia's Olympic Committee

The Somali Olympic Committee was started on December 12, 1959, in Mogadishu. Ali Omar Scego was the first head of the group. People hoped Somalia could join the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. But when Scego became Somalia's ambassador to Belgium, the people who took over could not get the country ready for the Games, and the Committee stopped working.

The idea to restart the Committee came back in 1971. National sports groups for athletics, basketball, and football all agreed to be part of the Committee. Just before the 1972 Summer Olympics, the Committee was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This allowed Somalia to finally send its athletes to the Olympics.

Somalia's Olympic Journey

First Olympic Appearances

Somalia made its first appearance at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. They sent three athletes: Mohamed Aboker and Jama Awil Aden for running events, and Abdullah Noor Wasughe for the high jump.

Somalia was supposed to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. However, they joined 28 other countries in a boycott. This happened because the IOC allowed New Zealand to participate. New Zealand's rugby team had played in South Africa shortly before the Olympics, which went against the international sports boycott of South Africa due to its apartheid policies. Most of the boycotting countries were from Africa. Before the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union, Somalia again joined a boycott. This time, it was led by the United States because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

When Somalia sent a team to the 1984 Summer Olympics, it was their biggest group of athletes yet, with seven male competitors. Ahmed Mohamed Ismail finished 47th in the marathon race. Abdi Bile made it to the second round of the 800 meters race. Ibrahim Okash did even better in the 800 meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, reaching the semi-finals.

Somalia had athletes registered for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. However, they did not participate because of a severe famine happening in the country. They returned to the Games at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, with four male athletes. That year, Abdi Bile had Somalia's best Olympic performance, finishing sixth in the final of the 1500 meters race.

New Era: 2000s and Beyond

Starting from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Somalia began sending two athletes to each Games: one male and one female. This was the first time Somalia had female athletes compete. Safia Abukar Hussein became the first woman to represent her country at the Olympics. This was a big step, even though there were some challenges because of how women in sports were seen in Somalia. Hussein's own father was initially upset, but they made up before the Games.

The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, had some problems for Somalia. The president of the Somali Olympic Committee, Farah Weheliye Addo, was found to have misused money from the football governing body, FIFA. Because of this, FIFA banned him for ten years and told the IOC. The IOC then removed Addo's special pass, stopping him from attending the 2004 Games.

One of Somalia's athletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics gained a lot of attention from around the world. Samia Yusuf Omar was a 16-year-old sprinter. She trained at the Mogadishu Stadium and around the city, even though it was very difficult and she faced harassment from local groups during the civil war. Her determination was seen as very inspiring. After the Games, where she finished last in her 200 meters race using borrowed equipment, she stepped away from the public eye because she didn't want to be involved with the media.

Recent Olympic History

Because of the ongoing Civil War in Somalia, many athletes have left the country and now compete for other nations. The most well-known example is Mo Farah at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. He won two gold medals for Great Britain: first in the men's 10,000 meters race, and then in the 5000 meters race a week later.

People had hoped that Samia Yusuf Omar would return for the London Games. However, after the 2008 Olympics, she went back to Somalia and was threatened by an armed group called Al-Shabaab. She then had to pretend she was not an athlete. Wanting to compete in the 2012 Games, she left Somalia and traveled through Ethiopia and Libya. Sadly, she drowned off the coast while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, where she hoped to find a coach. Qadijo Aden Dahir, a leader in Somalia's athletics group, said it was a "sad death" and that Samia was "our favourite for the London Olympics."

Somalia continued to send one male and one female athlete to the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Mo Farah was successful again at the 2016 Games, winning two more gold medals for Great Britain.

Olympic Medal Summary

Total		0	0	0	0	–
Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1972 Munich	3	0	0	0	0	–
1976 Montreal	did not participate
1980 Moscow	did not participate
1984 Los Angeles	7	0	0	0	0	–
1988 Seoul	5	0	0	0	0	–
1992 Barcelona	did not participate
1996 Atlanta	4	0	0	0	0	–
2000 Sydney	2	0	0	0	0	–
2004 Athens	2	0	0	0	0	–
2008 Beijing	2	0	0	0	0	–
2012 London	2	0	0	0	0	–
2016 Rio de Janeiro	2	0	0	0	0	–
2020 Tokyo	2	0	0	0	0	–
2024 Paris	1	0	0	0	0	–
2028 Los Angeles	Future
	Future