Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Independent Olympic athletes competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The team was composed of Kuwaiti athletes who competed under the Olympic flag, as the Kuwait Olympic Committee had been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the second time in five years due to governmental interference.[2][3][4]
| Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | IOA |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 9 in 3 sports |
| Flag bearer | Volunteer[1] |
| Medals Ranked 51st |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Kuwait (1968–) | |
In addition to the independent athletes, ten refugees were scheduled to compete under the Olympic flag as the Refugee Olympic Team, which constituted a separate team.
Kuwaiti shooter Fehaid Al-Deehani became the first independent athlete to win a gold medal.[5]
Medalists
edit| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold |
Fehaid Al-Deehani | Shooting | Men's double trap | 10 August |
 Bronze |
Abdullah Al-Rashidi | Shooting | Men's skeet | 13 August |
Background
editThe Kuwaiti Olympic Committee was suspended due to interference from the government. The suspension started in October 2015.[6] Kuwait was also suspended in 2010, but this suspension was lifted before the start of the 2012 Olympic Games.[6]
Fencing
editOne fencer competed as independent athlete into the Olympic competition. Abdulaziz Al-Shatti had claimed his Olympic spot in the men's épée with a top finish at the Asian Zonal Qualifier in Wuxi, China, signifying the nation's sporters' return to the sport at the Olympics for the first time since 2000.
| Athlete | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Rank | ||
| Abdulaziz Al-Shatti | Men's épée |  Rédli (HUN)L 13–14 |
Did not advance | |||||
Shooting
editKuwaiti individual shooters – starting as independent athletes and not for their country – have achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2015 World Shotgun and Asian Championships, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) by March 31, 2016.[7]
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | Rank | ||
| Ahmad Al-Afasi | Men's double trap | 128 | 15 | Did not advance | |||
| Fehaid Al-Deehani | 135 | 6 Q | 28 | 1 Q | 26 |
| |
| Abdulrahman Al-Faihan | Men's trap | 115 | 14 | Did not advance | |||
| Khaled Al-Mudhaf | 117 | 8 | Did not advance | ||||
| Abdullah Al-Rashidi | Men's skeet | 123 | 1 Q | 14 | 4 q | 16 |
|
| Saud Habib | 117 | 20 | Did not advance | ||||
Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)
Swimming
editKuwait has received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.[8][9][10]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Abbas Qali | Men's 100 m butterfly | 54.63 | 36 | Did not advance | |||
| Faye Sultan | Women's 50 m freestyle | 26.86 | 54 | Did not advance | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "IOC suspends Kuwait's national Olympic committee". USA Today. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ "Suspension of the Kuwait Olympic Committee". Olympics. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ "Independent Olympic Athletes". Rio2016.com. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ "Kuwaiti becomes first independent athlete to win gold with men's double trap win". stuff.co.nz. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Kuwait ban unlikely to be lifted in time for Rio 2016 Olympics: IOC". Indian Express. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Quota Places by Nation and Number". www.issf-sports.org/. ISSF. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "Swimming World Rankings". FINA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Men's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Women's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 20 July 2016.