South Sudan at the Olympics
The newest country in the world and ravaged by war and poverty, South Sudan made its first-ever appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Previous to this time athletes from this region would have represented Sudan at the Olympic Games.
Although South Sudan declared their independence from Sudan on July 9th, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan were not able to create a National Olympic Committee before the 2012 Olympics, and so were unable to send an official team at that time.
However, one athlete competed in London 2012, distance runner Guor Marial, a South Sudanese refugee who lives and trains in the United States. He competed as an Independent Athlete in the marathon. He was not the only athlete from South Sudan at the Olympics - 5000m runner Lopez Lomong ran for the USA, and Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng captained the British basketball team.
South Sudan officially competed at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics for the first time, sending three athletes to compete in track and field . The three athletes were Santino Kenyi (men's 1,500 meters run), Guor Marial (men's marathon) and Margret Rumat Hassan Margret Rumat Hassan (women's 200 meters run). All three athletes fell short in advancing into the next round.
South Sudan secured a historic place at the Paris 2024 Olympics men's basketball tournament
Related Pages
- See also Sudan at the Olympics
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- About sport in South Sudan
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