| Azerbaijan at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | AZE |
| NOC | National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 56 in 14 sports |
| Flag bearers | Teymur Mammadov (opening)[1] Haji Aliyev (closing) |
| Medals Ranked 39th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Russian Empire (1900–1912) Soviet Union (1952–1988) Unified Team (1992) | |
Azerbaijan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
The National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan fielded a team of 56 athletes, 42 men and 14 women, across 14 sports at the Games. Azerbaijan made its Olympic debut in four sports (archery, slalom canoeing, track cycling, and triathlon).[2] It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics in its independent history, beating the record of 53 athletes who attended the London Games four years earlier. More than 60 percent of the nation's roster were born outside of Azerbaijan; several of them hailed from Eastern Europe, particularly from Russia and Ukraine.[3] For the first time in history, Azerbaijan was not represented in the weightlifting, as the International Weightlifting Federation decided to strip of its quota places over "multiple positive cases" of doping.[4]
The Azerbaijani roster featured 36 rookies and 20 returning Olympians. Of the returnees, nine of them won Olympic medals in London, including defending wrestling champions Toghrul Asgarov and Sharif Sharifov, freestyle wrestlers Mariya Stadnik and Yuliya Ratkevich, four-time kayak sprint medalist Inna Osypenko-Radomska, who represented her native Ukraine at four previous editions (2000 to 2012) before transferring her allegiance to Azerbaijan in 2014, and boxers Magomedrasul Majidov (super heavyweight) and European Games champion Teymur Mammadov (light heavyweight), who was selected by the committee to lead the delegation as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1][5]
Azerbaijan left Rio de Janeiro with a total of 18 medals (1 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze), signifying the nation's most successful Olympic outcome in its independent history. Nine of these medals were distributed to the Azerbaijani team in wrestling, three in taekwondo for the first time, and two each in boxing, sprint canoeing, and judo. Among the nation's medalists were Stadnik, who managed to repeat her silver from London; Osypenko-Radomska, who extended her career haul with a bronze medal and fifth overall, and taekwondo fighter Radik Isayev (men's +80 kg), who secured Azerbaijan's only gold-medal triumph at the Games.[6]
- ^ a b "Details of selecting boxer Teymur Mammadov as a flag bearer of Azerbaijani team unveiled". Report Information Agency. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ Isabalayeva, Ilhama (25 July 2016). "Azerbaijan to be represented at Rio 2016 in 18 sports". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ Gaßmann, Josef (23 August 2016). "Olympic outsourcing: foreign born athletes made for more than 60% of Azerbaijan's Rio delegation". Meydan TV. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "Strong statement by the IWF Executive Board". International Weightlifting Federation. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ "Azerbaijan names its flag-bearer at Rio 2016 Olympics". AzerNews. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "Azerbaijan ends Rio Olympics with 18 medals". AzerNews. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.