Syria at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Syria at the Olympics
IOC code	SYR
NOC	Syrian Olympic Committee
Website
Medals Ranked 109th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 1 2 4
Summer appearances
1948 1952–1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Other related appearances
United Arab Republic (1960)

Syria first joined the Olympic Games in 1948. The only Syrian athlete that year was Zouheir Shourbagi, a diver. He finished 10th in the men's platform diving event. Syria then missed the next four Olympic Games. However, in 1960, Syria competed with Egypt as part of the United Arab Republic.

Syria returned to the Olympics in 1968. Since then, Syrian athletes have competed in almost every Summer Olympic Games. They only missed the 1976 Summer Olympics. Syria has never taken part in the Winter Olympic Games. The Syrian Olympic Committee was created in 1948. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized it on January 31, 1948. Syrian athletes have won a total of four medals. These medals were won in four different sports: Athletics, Freestyle wrestling, Weightlifting, and Boxing.

Syria's Olympic Journey

Freestyle wrestling 100 kg medal ceremony at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Syrian silver medalist Joseph Atiyeh is first from the left.

Syria first competed as an independent country at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Later, at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Syria participated as part of the United Arab Republic. In 1961, Syria separated from Egypt. Because of this, Syria did not compete in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Syria came back to the Olympics in Mexico in 1968. After that, they only missed the Games in Montreal in 1976. Syria won its very first Olympic medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Joseph Atiyeh earned a silver medal in freestyle wrestling.

During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ghada Shouaa made history. She won Syria's first gold medal in heptathlon. She scored a total of 6,780 points. Syria won its third medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Boxer Nasser al-Shami won a bronze medal in boxing. The fourth medal was won by weightlifter Man Asaad. He earned a bronze medal in weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. These Games were held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Olympic Medals for Syria

Syria has won medals in different sports over the years. Here's a look at the medals won by Syrian athletes.

Medals by Sport

Syrian Medal Winners

These are the athletes who have won Olympic medals for Syria:

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
2 Silver	Atiyeh, JosephJoseph Atiyeh	1984 Los Angeles	Wrestling	Men's freestyle 100 kg
1 Gold	Shouaa, GhadaGhada Shouaa	1996 Atlanta	Athletics	Women's heptathlon
3 Bronze	Al Shami, NasserNasser Al Shami	2004 Athens	Boxing	Men's heavyweight
3 Bronze	Asaad, ManMan Asaad	2020 Tokyo	Weightlifting	Men's 109+kg

Flagbearers for Syria

The flagbearer is an athlete who carries their country's flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. This is a great honor. Here are some of the athletes who have been flagbearers for Syria at the Summer Olympics:

Summer Olympics

Games	Athlete	Sport
1948 London	Zouheir Shourbagi	Diving
1952 Helsinki	did not participate
1956 Melbourne
1960 Rome	as part of  United Arab Republic (RAU)
1964 Tokyo	did not participate
1968 Mexico City	Mahmoud Balah	Wrestling
1972 Munich	Mounzer Khatib	Shooting
1976 Montreal	did not participate
1980 Moscow	Jihad Naim	Shooting
1984 Los Angeles	Joseph Atiyeh	Wrestling
1988 Seoul	Hafez El-Hussein	Athletics
1992 Barcelona	Dennis Atiyeh	Wrestling
1996 Atlanta	Ghada Shouaa	Athletics
2000 Sydney	Moutassem Ghotouq	Head of mission
2004 Athens	Mohammad Hazzory	Athletics
2008 Beijing	Ahed Joughili	Weightlifting
2012 London	Majd Eddin Ghazal	Athletics
2016 Rio de Janeiro	Majd Eddin Ghazal	Athletics
2020 Tokyo	Ahmad Hamcho Hend Zaza	Equestrian Table tennis
2024 Paris	Amre Hamcho Alisar Youssef	Equestrian Athletics

See also

• List of flag bearers for Syria at the Olympics
• Category:Olympic competitors for Syria
• Syrian Olympic Committee
• Syria at the Paralympics
• Syria at the Mediterranean Games
• Syria at the Asian Games