The Gambia at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Gambia at the Olympics
Flag of the Gambia
IOC code	GAM
NOC	The Gambia National Olympic Committee
Medals	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 0 0
Summer appearances
1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020

The Gambia is a country in West Africa. It has sent athletes to every Summer Olympic Games since 1984. However, the country has never won an Olympic medal. The Gambia has not yet competed in the Winter Olympic Games.

The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) was created in 1972. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized it in 1976. The Gambia chose not to compete in the first two Olympic Games they could have joined, in 1976 and 1980. Their first team in 1984 had ten athletes, and they were all runners. Later teams have included athletes in other sports. These include wrestlers (1988), a long jumper (1996), a boxer (2008), a judoka (2016), and a swimmer (2016). In most other years, The Gambia has only sent runners.

The Gambia National Olympic Committee

The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) was formed in 1972. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized it in 1976. The GNOC is based at Olympic House in Bakau.

In April 2014, police took control of the Olympic House building. They stopped GNOC employees from entering. The Ministry of Youth and Sports also stopped GNOC officials from traveling. Because of this, The Gambia could not send athletes to the 2014 African Youth Games. The IOC was very unhappy about this. Olympic House was reopened in August, but the government still controlled who could enter. The IOC warned the GNOC that they might be stopped from competing if the government kept getting involved. The problem was eventually solved, and The Gambia was not suspended.

History at the Olympics

First Olympic Appearances

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal would have been The Gambia's first time competing. However, The Gambia joined 28 other countries in a boycott. Most of these countries were from Africa. They protested because the IOC allowed New Zealand to compete. New Zealand's rugby team had played in South Africa earlier that year. This went against the international sports ban on South Africa.

The Gambia was also invited to the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics. But they chose not to go. They joined the boycott led by the United States.

The country finally made its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. They sent ten athletes. Six were men and four were women. All of them competed in running events. Amie N'Dow was the only Gambian to get past the first races. She reached the quarter-finals in the women's 200 metres.

At the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics, The Gambia sent six athletes. Three were runners (two men, one woman) and three were wrestlers (all men). The flag-bearer, Dawda Jallow, reached the quarter-finals in the men's 400 metres.

The 1990s Olympics

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (shown here in 2011) ran for The Gambia at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. He later competed for Norway in 2008, 2012, and 2016.

At the 1992 Summer Olympics, The Gambia's team had five athletes. For the only time, all of them were men. They were all runners. Four of them ran in the men's 4 × 100 metres relay race. Only Bangladesh and San Marino had slower times in that event.

The Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics saw The Gambia's team grow to nine athletes. Adama Njie was the only woman on the team. Ousman Sallah was a long jumper, the only athlete not competing in running. Dawda Jallow carried the flag for the third time in a row. He became the only Gambian to compete in four Olympic Games.

The 2000s Olympics

For the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, The Gambia sent only two athletes. They were Adama Njie and Pa Mamadou Gai. Njie became the country's first female flag-bearer. The team size did not increase for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Njie returned for her third Games. She was joined by Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, who was the flag-bearer. Ndure was 20 years old. He reached the quarter-finals in both the 100 metres and the 200 metres. He later changed his nationality and competed for Norway.

The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing saw The Gambia send three athletes. There were two men and one woman. This team included the country's first Olympic boxer, Badou Jack. He was the flag-bearer. He lost his first fight to India's Vijender Singh. The other two athletes, runners Suwaibou Sanneh and Fatou Tiyana, did not get past their first races.

The 2010s Olympics

The Gambian team for the London 2012 Summer Olympics had two track and field athletes. They were Suwaibou Sanneh and Saruba Colley. Colley did not get past the first round of the women's 100 metres. Sanneh reached the semi-finals of the men's 100 metres. He set a new national record time of 10.18 seconds.

For the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, The Gambia sent its largest team since 1996. It was also the first team to have athletes from more than two sports. Adama Jammeh and Gina Bass ran in the 200 metres events. Gina Bass was the flag-bearer and the only woman on the team. Faye Njie and Pap Jonga became the first Gambians to compete in Olympic judo and Olympic swimming.

Olympic Medal Table

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1984 Los Angeles	10	0	0	0	0	–
1988 Seoul	6	0	0	0	0	–
1992 Barcelona	5	0	0	0	0	–
1996 Atlanta	9	0	0	0	0	–
2000 Sydney	2	0	0	0	0	–
2004 Athens	2	0	0	0	0	–
2008 Beijing	3	0	0	0	0	–
2012 London	2	0	0	0	0	–
2016 Rio de Janeiro	4	0	0	0	0	–
2020 Tokyo	4	0	0	0	0	–
2024 Paris	7	0	0	0	0	–
2028 Los Angeles	future event
Total		0	0	0	0	–

See also

In Spanish: Gambia en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• List of flag bearers for the Gambia at the Olympics