Niger competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] It was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics. Since the nation made its debut in 1964, Nigerien athletes have participated in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except for two occasions, the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of the African and the US-led boycotts, respectively.
| Niger at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | NIG |
| NOC | Nigerien Olympic and National Sports Committee |
| in Tokyo, Japan July 23, 2021 – August 8, 2021 | |
| Competitors | 7 in 4 sports |
| Flag bearers (opening) | Roukaya Mahamane Abdoul Razak Issoufou |
| Flag bearer (closing) | N/A |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Competitors
editThe following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Judo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swimming | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Taekwondo | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 7 |
Athletics
editNigerien athletes achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[2][3]
- Key
- Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
- Q = Qualified for the next round
- q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
- NR = National record
- N/A = Round not applicable for the event
- Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
- Track & road events
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Badamassi Saguirou | Men's 100 m | 10.87 PB | 7 | Did not advance | |||||
| Aminatou Seyni | Women's 200 m | 22.72 SB | 3 Q | — | 22.54 NR | 5 | Did not advance | ||
Judo
editNiger qualified one judoka for the men's half-lightweight category (66 kg) at the Games. Ismael Alhassane accepted a continental berth from Africa as the nation's top-ranked judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of June 28, 2021.[4]
| Athlete | Event | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Ismael Alhassane | Men's −66 kg |  Le Blouch (FRA)L 00–10 |
Did not advance | |||||
Swimming
editNiger received a universality invitation from FINA to send two top-ranked swimmers (one per gender) in their respective individual events to the Olympics, based on the FINA Points System of June 28, 2021.[5]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Alassane Seydou | Men's 50 m freestyle | 24.75 | 50 | Did not advance | |||
| Roukaya Mahamane | Women's 50 m freestyle | 32.21 | 76 | Did not advance | |||
Taekwondo
editNiger entered two athletes into the taekwondo competition at the Games. Rio 2016 silver medalist and 2017 world champion Abdoul Razak Issoufou qualified directly for the second time in the men's heavyweight category (+80 kg) by finishing among the top five taekwondo practitioners at the end of the WT Olympic Rankings. Meanwhile, Tekiath Ben Yessouf secured the remaining spot on the Nigerien squad with a top two finish in the women's lightweight category (57 kg) at the 2020 African Qualification Tournament in Rabat, Morocco.[6][7]
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Abdoul Razak Issoufou | Men's +80 kg | — |  Gbané (CIV)L 9–15 |
Did not advance | ||||
| Tekiath Ben Yessouf | Women's −57 kg | Bye |  Hamada (JPN)W 11–6 |
 Minina (ROC)L 10–15 |
Did not advance |  Tzeli (GRE)W 2–0 |
 Lo C-l (TPE)L 6–10 |
5 |
References
edit- ^ "Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee". Olympics. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "IAAF Games of the XXXII Olympiad – Tokyo 2020 Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ Messner, Nicolas (22 June 2021). "Tokyo 2020: Official Olympic Qualification List". International Judo Federation. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics Entry Lists Released, Swimming Begins July 24". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Taekwondo: Seydou Fofana premier Malien qualifié aux JO 2020" [Taekwondo: Seydou Fofana becomes the first Malian to qualify for 2020 Olympics] (in French). Radio France Internationale. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Six countries earned Olympic taekwondo berth on the second day of the African Qualification Tournament for Tokyo 2020". World Taekwondo. 23 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.