| Slovenia at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | SLO |
| NOC | Slovenian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 63 in 12 sports |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Vasilij Žbogar[1] |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Tanja Žakelj |
| Medals Ranked 45th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Austria (1912) Yugoslavia (1920–1988) | |
Slovenia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics as an independent nation.
The Slovenian Olympic Committee (Slovene: Olimpijski komite Slovenije) fielded a team of 63 athletes, 39 men and 24 women, across 12 sports at the Games.[2] Men's handball was the only team sport in which Slovenia qualified for the Games, returning to the Olympics after being absent from the previous two editions.[3]
Of the 63 participants, twenty-one of them had past Olympic experience, with sailor Vasilij Žbogar (bronze in Athens 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008) headed to his fifth straight Games as the most experienced competitor and a potential medal favorite in the Finn class.[3] The only medalist returning from the previous Games to compete in Rio de Janeiro, Žbogar was selected by the committee to lead the Slovenian delegation as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1][4] Other notable Slovenian athletes included world judo champion Tina Trstenjak in the women's 63 kg, two-time slalom kayak world champion Peter Kauzer, and three-time world championship medalist in canoeing Benjamin Savšek.
Slovenia left Rio de Janeiro with four medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze), which matched its overall tally from both Athens 2004 and London 2012.[5] Among the nation's medalists were Trstenjak, who succeeded Urška Žolnir to become the Olympic champion in the women's 63 kg; Kauzer, who improved upon his sixth-place feat from London by taking a silver in the men's slalom K-1; and Žbogar, who capped off his fifth Games with a silver and third medal overall of his Olympic career in the Finn class, making him one of the most successful Olympians in the history of independent Slovenia.[6][7]
- ^ a b "Vasilij Žbogar bo slovenski zastavonoša v Riu" [Vasilij Žbogar will be Slovenia's flag bearer in Rio 2016] (in Slovenian). Delo. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ "POI Rio 2016 – Olimpijski komite Slovenije". olympic.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Olympics: Slovenia hoping for several medals in Rio despite young team". The Slovenia Times. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Vasilij Žbogar, Slovenian flag bearer at Maracana". Radiotelevizija Slovenija. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Slovenian athletes return from Rio with four medals". The Slovenia Times. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Gold in Rio! Tina Trstenjak follows the footsteps of Urška Žolnir". Radiotelevizija Slovenija. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Finn class sailor Žbogar wins silver". The Slovenia Times. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2016.