| Ethiopia at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | ETH |
| NOC | Ethiopian Olympic Committee |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 38 in 3 sports |
| Flag bearer | Robel Kiros Habte[1] |
| Medals Ranked 44th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Ethiopia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation in Rio de Janeiro marked its thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1956, having missed three occasions for joining the African (1976), Soviet (1984), and North Korean (1988) boycotts.
The Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC) confirmed a team of 38 athletes, 18 men and 20 women, to compete only in track and field, swimming, and road cycling (the country's Olympic return from a 24-year absence) at the Games. The nation's full roster also achieved a historic milestone, as the number of female athletes outnumbered the men for the first time.
Eleven Ethiopian athletes previously competed in London, with only three of them having won medals, including two-time defending champion Tirunesh Dibaba in the women's 10,000 metres, steeplechaser Sofia Assefa, and long-distance runner Dejen Gebremeskel (men's 5000 metres). Other notable athletes on the Ethiopian team featured Dibaba's younger sister and current world record holder Genzebe in middle-distance running, reigning world champions Mare Dibaba (women's marathon) and Almaz Ayana, and freestyle swimmer Robel Kiros Habte, who was appointed as the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony and eventually acknowledged internet fame for his portly build and slow qualifying time.[1][2]
Ethiopia left Rio de Janeiro with a total of eight medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze), matching its overall tally from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[3] Among the nation's medalists were Ayana, who overturned a long-standing world record to become an Olympic champion in the women's 10,000 metres, and Feyisa Lilesa, who flaunted an anti-government gesture upon finishing second in the men's marathon.[4][5] Ayana's predecessor Dibaba witnessed her three-peat bid come to an end with a bronze-medal finish in her pet event, while Genzebe followed her elder sister's Olympic legacy by earning a silver in the women's 1500 metres.[6]
- ^ a b "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Rio 2016: The Olympic swimmer who's – very slowly – becoming crowd favourite". The Independent. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Ethiopia's Rio Olympics Performance – Result Falls Short of Expectations". The Ethiopian Herald. AllAfrica.com. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Rio Olympics: Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana sets world record in winning women's 10,000 meters". Los Angeles Times. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Medallist Feyisa Lilesa fails to return to Ethiopia after Olympics protest". The Guardian. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Fantahun, Arefayné (17 August 2016). "Genzebe Dibaba comes second to win silver for Ethiopia". Ethiopia Observer. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.