| Ecuador at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | ECU |
| NOC | Ecuadorian National Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 38 in 13 sports |
| Flag bearer | Estefania García[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Ecuador competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's fourteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1924.
The Ecuadorian National Olympic Committee (Spanish: Comité Olímpico Ecuatoriano) fielded a team of 38 athletes, 23 men and 15 women, to compete in 13 sports at the Games.[2][3] It was the nation's largest ever delegation, eclipsing the previous record of 36 athletes who took part at the London Games four years earlier. Athletics had the largest roster with a total of 16 athletes; there was only a single competitor each in sprint canoeing, equestrian eventing, rowing, shooting, and triathlon.
The Ecuadorian team featured 20 returning Olympians, with two of them attending their fourth consecutive Games: distance runner Byron Piedra (men's marathon) and weightlifter Alexandra Escobar (women's 58 kg). Race walkers Andrés Chocho and Rolando Saquipay were among the Ecuadorians headed to their third Olympic Games, while sixteen others previously competed in London, including Argentina-born sprint kayaker César de Cesare, triathlete Elizabeth Bravo, professional boxers Julio Castillo, Marlo Delgado, and Carlos Quipo, and freestyle wrestler Lissette Antes. A top eight finalist at the 2015 World Championships, Chocho was originally selected to carry the Ecuadorian flag, but decided to focus on his training for the competition. Instead, judoka Estefania García (women's 63 kg) took Chocho's spot at the last minute to lead the team in the opening ceremony.[1]
Ecuador narrowly missed out on its first Olympic medal since 2008, as Escobar placed fourth in the women's 58 kg, the most successful result of her Olympic career.[4]
- ^ a b "Estefanía García será la abanderada de Ecuador en los Juegos de Río 2016" [Estefanía García will be Ecuador's flag bearer at the 2016 Rio Olympics] (in Spanish). Ecuador: El Comercio. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Con un récord de 38 atletas, Ecuador va a Río 2016" [Ecuador breaks a record of 38 athletes in Rio 2016] (in Spanish). El Universo. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "38 ecuatorianos buscarán la gloria en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río 2016" [38 Ecuadorians seek Olympic glory in Rio 2016] (in Spanish). Ecuador: El Comercio. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Alexandra Escobar, cuarta en 58kg de levantamiento de pesas en Río 2016" [Rio 2016: Alexandra Escobar finished fourth in the 58 kg weightlifting] (in Spanish). El Universo. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.