| Iceland at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | ISL |
| NOC | National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 8 in 4 sports |
| Flag bearer | Þormóður Jónsson[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Iceland competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Since the nation's official debut in 1912, Icelandic athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except for four occasions as a result of the worldwide Great Depression (1920 to 1932).
Due to the absence of the men's handball team, the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games for the first time since the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. A total of eight athletes, three men and five women, were selected to the Icelandic team, competing only in athletics, judo, swimming, and artistic gymnastics. Attending his third straight Olympics, heavyweight judoka Þormóður Jónsson had been chosen by the committee to carry the Icelandic flag in the opening ceremony.[1][2] Along with Jónsson, four other athletes also returned for their second Olympic appearance, including javelin thrower Ásdís Hjálmsdóttir, top 12 finalist from London 2012, and swimmers Anton Sveinn McKee, Eygló Ósk Gústafsdóttir, and Hrafnhildur Lúthersdóttir.[3]
Iceland, however, failed to win a single Olympic medal, since the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where the men's handball squad took the silver in a final match against France. Swimmers Lúthersdóttir (women's 100 m breaststroke) and Gústafsdóttir (women's 200 m backstroke) were the only Icelandic athletes progressing further to the final round for the first time since Örn Arnarson (men's 200 m backstroke) did so in 2000, but both of them finished off the podium.[4]
- ^ a b Hafstad, Vala (4 August 2016). "Icelandic Flag Bearer Chosen for Olympics". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Þormóður fánaberi á setningarhátíðinni" [Thormodur is the flag bearer at the opening ceremony] (in Icelandic). RÚV. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ^ "Hrafnhildur mætti fyrst íslensku keppendanna" [Hrafnhildur could be Iceland's first ever finalist] (in Icelandic). DV. 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ^ Hafstad, Vala (12 August 2016). "Another Icelandic Swimmer Qualifies for Olympic Finals". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.