The Gambia at the 2000 Summer Olympics

The Gambia sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was the African nation's fifth time competing at a Summer Olympic Games. The Gambian delegation consisted of two track and field athletes, Pa Mamadou Gai and Adama Njie. Neither advanced beyond the first round heats of their events.

The Gambia at the
2000 Summer Olympics
IOC codeGAM
NOCGambia National Olympic Committee
Websitewww.gnoc.gm
in Sydney
Competitors2 in 1 sport
Flag bearer Adama Njie
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

Background

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The Gambia National Olympic Committee was recognized by the International Olympic Committee on 1 January 1976.[1] The nation boycotted the first two Summer Olympic Games held after their recognition. They boycotted the 1976 Summer Olympics over New Zealand's participation,[2] and joined a United States-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.[3] Therefore, they did not make their Olympic debut until the 1984 Summer Olympics, and have participated in every Summer Olympics since then. Sydney was their fifth consecutive appearance at the Summer Games.[4] The 2000 Summer Olympics were held from 15 September to 1 October 2000; a total of 10,651 athletes represented 199 National Olympic Committees.[5] The Gambian delegation consisted of two track and field athletes, Pa Mamadou Gai and Adama Njie.[6] The flag bearing duties at the opening ceremony were performed by Njie.[4]

Athletics

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Pa Mamadou Gai was 22 years old at the time of the Sydney Olympics, and was making his second Olympic appearance, having previously represented The Gambia at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[7][8] On 22 September, he participated in the first round of the men's 100 meters race, and was drawn into heat eight. He finished the race in 11.03 seconds, eighth out of nine competitors in his heat, and was eliminated.[9] The gold medal was eventually won in 9.87 seconds by Maurice Greene of the United States; the silver was won by Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago, and the bronze was earned by Obadele Thompson of Barbados.[10][11]

Adama Njie was 22 years old at the time of the Sydney Olympics, and was making the second of her three consecutive Olympic appearances; she had previously competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and would go on to represent The Gambia at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[12][13] On 22 September, she participated in the first round of the women's 800 meters competition, and was drawn into heat five. She finished the race in a time of 2 minutes and 7.90 seconds, which put her sixth out of seven competitors in her heat, and she was eliminated.[14] The gold medal was eventually won by Maria Mutola of Mozambique in 1 minute and 56.15 seconds; the silver medal was won by Stephanie Graf of Austria, and the bronze was earned by Kelly Holmes of Great Britain.[15]

Athlete(s) Events Heats Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Pa Mamadou Gai Men's 100 m 11.03 8 did not advance
Adama Njie Women's 800 m 2:07.90 6 N/A did not advance

References

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  1. ^ "Gambia – National Olympic Committee (NOC)". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  2. ^ "BBC ON THIS DAY 1976: African countries boycott Olympics". BBC Online. 17 July 1976. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  3. ^ "54 Boycotted in 1980". The New York Times. 10 May 1984. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Gambia". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics – results & video highlights". International Olympic Committee. 23 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Gambia at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Pa Mamadou Gai Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Pa Modou GAI – Olympic Athletics – Gambia". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Men's 100 metres Round One". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Men's 100 metres". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Sydney 2000 100m men – Olympic Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Adama N'Jie Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Adama NJIE – Olympic Athletics – Gambia". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Women's 800 metres Round One". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Sydney 2000 800m women – Olympic Sydney 2000 Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
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