| Tunisia at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | TUN |
| NOC | Tunisian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 61 in 17 sports |
| Flag bearer | Oussama Mellouli[1] |
| Medals Ranked 75th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Tunisia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Since the nation's official debut in 1960, Tunisian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of the nation's partial support for the US-led boycott.
The Tunisian Olympic Committee (French: Comité National Olympique Tunisien, CNOT) fielded a team of 61 athletes, 40 men and 21 women, to compete in 17 sports at the Games.[2] It was the nation's second-largest delegation sent to the Olympics, relatively smaller by 22 athletes than in London four years earlier. Men's handball was the only team-based sport in which Tunisia qualified for the Games. Among the sports represented by the nation's athletes, Tunisia made its Olympic debut in beach volleyball, as well as returning to table tennis after a twelve-year absence.
The Tunisian roster was highlighted by two accomplished Olympians from London 2012: long-distance swimmer Oussama Mellouli and steeplechaser Habiba Ghribi. At 32 years old and headed to his fifth Games, Mellouli emerged himself as Tunisia's most successful Olympian of all time, with three medals (two golds and one bronze), and the first swimmer to dominate at both the pool and open water in Olympic history. Because of his successes, Mellouli was selected to carry the nation's flag at the opening ceremony.[1][3] Meanwhile, Ghribi, a three-time Olympian, established a historic milestone for her country in London, when she became the first Tunisian woman to earn an Olympic medal.
Apart from Mellouli and Ghribi, 18 Tunisian athletes previously competed in London, including fencing sisters Azza and Sarra Besbes, tennis players Malek Jaziri and Ons Jabeur, three-time Olympic judoka Nihal Chikhrouhou (women's +78 kg) and Houda Miled (women's 70 kg), race walker Hassanine Sebei, and freestyle wrestler Marwa Amri.
Tunisia returned home from Rio de Janeiro with three bronze medals; each of them was awarded to the Tunisian athletes in fencing, taekwondo, and wrestling, respectively, for the first time. Moreover, it matched the overall tally achieved in London four years earlier. Among the medalists were Amri (women's 58 kg), three-time Olympic fencer Inès Boubakri (women's foil), and taekwondo fighter Oussama Oueslati (men's 80 kg).[4]
- ^ a b "Rio 2016 : 60 athlètes tunisiens dans 17 disciplines" [Rio 2016: 60 Tunisian athletes in 17 disciplines] (in French). Nessma TV. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ Chaouch, Rebecca (5 August 2016). "JO 2016 : la participation de la Tunisie aux Jeux Olympiques en chiffres" [2016 Olympics: Figures of Tunisia's participation at the Olympics] (in French). Jeune Afrique. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Meet the Egyptian, Moroccan, Tunisian Olympic flag-bearers". StepFeed. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Du bronze pour Oussama Oueslati" [Bronze for Oussama Oueslati] (in French). La Presse de Tunisie. 20 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.