Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It was the nation's twenty-second consecutive appearance at the Olympics. The

Olympic Committee of Portugal The Olympic Committee of Portugal ( pt, Comité Olímpico de Portugal ; acronym: COP) is a non-profit organisation of public utility, which serves as the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for Portugal. It was founded on October 26, 1909, to ensure ...

was represented by a delegation of 129 people, of which 77 were competitors participating in 16 sports.

Nelson Évora Nelson Évora GCIH (born 20 April 1984) is an Ivory Coast-born Portuguese track and field athlete who specializes in the triple jump. Évora is a former outdoor Olympic, World, and European triple jump champion. He has also won a European i ...

, the 2007

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, was chosen as the

flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

during the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

; he won the triple jump event, giving Portugal its fourth ever Olympic gold medal.

Medalists

Archery

A single male archer secured qualification by winning the individual competition at the Final World Qualification Tournament, in

Boé Boé (; oc, Boèr) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in southwestern France. It stands on the ''voie verte'' cycle path along the Canal de Garonne. Geography The Séoune forms part of the commune's eastern border, then flows into t ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Athletics

As in previous editions, the Portuguese Olympic team's biggest share of competitors will compete in athletics events. Twenty-seven athletes (13 men and 14 women) will perform in a wide range of

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

disciplines, including the long-distance events, where Portugal holds its best record, but also the more technical events, where national athletes have achieved international-level results in the build-up to the Beijing Games. Notable male athletes include the 2004 Olympic 100 metres silver medalist,

Francis Obikwelu Francis Obiorah Obikwelu, GOIH (born 22 November 1978) is a retired Nigerian-born Portuguese sprinter, who specialized in 100 metres and 200 metres. He was the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the 100 metres. In the same race, he se ...

, and the 2007 triple jump world champion,

. Susana Feitor—bronze in the 20 km walk at the 2005 World Championships—and

Naide Gomes Enezaide do Rosário da Vera Cruz Gomes OIH (born 20 November 1979) is a former Portuguese heptathlete and long jumper. She also competed in 100 metres hurdles at the 2000 Summer Olympics. At club level, she represented Sporting CP. Biography N ...

— 2008 world and 2007 European indoor

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

champion—are featured among the women's contingent. ;Men ;Track & road events ;Field events ;Women ;Track & road events ;Field events

Badminton

Marco Vasconcelos Marco Paulo Pereira Vasconcelos (born 7 November 1971) is a male badminton player from Portugal. Vasconcelos played a big role in helping the Portuguese team to win bronze at the Helvetia Cup in 2005. In his home country he won 15 titles at the ...

qualified for his third consecutive Olympic Games in virtue of a 64th place in the

Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...

(BWF) men's ranking list, which allowed him to be the 32nd qualified player in a total of 41 individual players. For the first time, women's national badminton will be represented at the Olympics, thanks to the 59th place of

Ana Moura Ana Cláudia Moura Pereira (born 17 September 1979), known as Ana Moura, is a Portuguese fado singer. An internationally recognized singer, she was the youngest fadista to be nominated for a Dutch Edison Award. Early life and career Ana Mo ...

in the BWF women's ranking, which converted her in the 31st qualified player from a total of 47 individual players.

Canoeing

Having reached the K-1 1000 metres final and the K-1 500 metres semifinal in his first Olympic appearance, in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, Emanuel Silva will be participating in the same two events, in Beijing. Portugal will be represented in the women's kayak events for the first time, with Teresa Portela and the pair Beatriz Gomes and Helena Rodrigues in the 500 metres distance. All competitors were granted qualification by allocation of spare athlete quota places.

Sprint

Qualification Legend: QS = Qualify to semi-final; QF = Qualify directly to final

Cycling

A maximum of three places were allocated to Portugal in the men's road event, due to a tenth place in the 2006-2007 UCI Europe Tour nations ranking, which corresponded to a second place in terms of continental Olympic qualification. A quota place was available for the men's time trial event, but it was not taken. The national cycling federation chose to send 2004 Olympic silver medalist

Sérgio Paulinho Sérgio Miguel Moreira Paulinho, ComIH (born 26 March 1980) is a Portuguese road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He was a domestique in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 Tour de France and won the silver medal for Portugal ...

together with

André Cardoso André Fernando Cardoso Santos Martins (born 3 September 1984) is a Portuguese professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . In 2018, he was suspended for four years – backdated to June 2017 – after faili ...

and

Nuno Ribeiro Nuno Jorge Ribeiro Gaspar (born 9 September 1977 in Sobrado, Valongo) is a Portuguese former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2014 for the , , (two spells), and teams. He now works as a directeur spo ...

. However, just five days before the road race event, it was announced that Paulinho would not compete in Beijing due to asthma problems, and that he would not be replaced by another rider.

Road

Equestrian

Three horse riders qualified for the individual dressage competition—hence for the team competition, as well—, by benefiting from Switzerland's decision of not competing in the dressage events, but also from allocation of unused quota places. Daniel Pinto returns to the Olympic Games after his debut in

Sydney 2000 The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, while his brother Carlos Pinto will make his first Olympic appearance.

Dressage

Fencing

For the second time, since Rome 1960, Portugal qualified a female fencer for the individual foil competition. Débora Nogueira secured her place in Beijing by coming second in the European qualification tournament, held in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. She is joined by

Joaquim Videira Joaquim Filipe Ferreira dos Santos Videira (born 1 December 1984) is a Portuguese fencer from Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the district of the same name, with a population of ...

, a silver medalist in the men's individual épée at the

2006 World Fencing Championships The 2006 World Fencing Championships were held at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy. The event took place from 29 September to 7 October 2006. Same Thing of the 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter ...

, who qualified in virtue of his third place in the FIE individual adjusted official ranking (AOR). ;Men ;Women

Gymnastics

Portugal had qualified two places in trampoline gymnastics.

Trampoline

Judo

In the wake of Nuno Delgado's bronze medal in 2000 (the first Olympic judo medal), the national judo scene developed considerably and new stars emerged, achieving international results of credit. Among notable judokas competing in Beijing are 2008 under-81 kg European champion, João Neto, and two-time under-52 kg European champion and

2007 World Judo Championships The 2007 World Judo Championships are the 25th edition of the Judo World Championships, and were held at the Rio Olympic Arena, usually called ''Arena Multiuso'', that was built for the 2007 Pan-American Games, in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, B ...

runner-up,

Telma Monteiro Telma Alexandra Pinto Monteiro ComM (born 27 December 1985) is a Portuguese judoka who has won multiple medals in international competitions, such as the European and World Championships. She is a two times winner of the Paris Grand Slam, in ...

. ;Men ;Women

Rowing

A national crew achieved qualification for the men's lightweight double sculls event, by reaching second place in the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, held in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

. ;Men Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Sailing

A sport with tradition and success in the nation's Olympic history (four medals), the sailing events will feature nine Portuguese sailormen distributed among five classes. Notable sailors include former sailboard world and three-time European champion (

Mistral Mistral may refer to: * Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia Automobiles * Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970 * Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006 * Microp ...

and Neil Pryde RS:X), João Rodrigues; 2003 ISAF

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

world champion,

Gustavo Lima Gustavo Lima is a Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of ...

; and 2008 470 world championship runner-up and European champion crew, Álvaro Marinho and Miguel Nunes. ;Men ;Open M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race; CAN = Race cancelled

Shooting

Two male shooters will take part in three events. João Costa returns to the Olympics to compete in the same two events where he debuted in 2000. Manuel Silva also makes an Olympic comeback, in the trap event, sixteen years later. Both qualified as 2006 World Cup winners. ;Men

Swimming

Portuguese swimmers have achieved qualifying standards in the swimming events (up to a maximum of two swimmers per event with the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially one with the Olympic Selection Time (OST)). Additionally, Portugal had qualified one male and one female swimmer to the inaugural open-water marathon. ;Men ;Women

Table tennis

For the first time in Olympic history, Portugal had qualified in table tennis. A maximum of three players participated in the men's singles:

João Monteiro João Monteiro may refer to: * João Monteiro (editor), Brazilian editor of ''Nature Medicine'' * João Monteiro (table tennis) (born 1983), Portuguese table tennis player * João Monteiro (footballer) (born 2001), Portuguese footballer {{h ...

, qualified via Continental Qualification Tournament,

Marcos Freitas Marcos André Sousa da Silva Freitas (born 8 April 1988) is a Portuguese table tennis player who has won European Championships in singles, doubles, and team events. He participated at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing where he got knocked ...

and

Tiago Apolónia Tiago André Barata Feio Peixoto Apolónia (born 28 July 1986) is a Portuguese table tennis player for German club TTF LIEBHERR Ochsenhausen and Portugal. As of August 2016, he is ranked the number eighteenth player in the world. Career Born i ...

, qualified due to allocation of unused team quota places.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo was the second Olympic sport where Portuguese competitors entered for the first time, in Beijing. The feat was achieved by Pedro Póvoa, following his victory in the European Qualification Tournament, held in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Triathlon

The nation's second consecutive presence in the Olympic triathlon competition will be expanded to both events, with the qualification of two male triathletes. They will join

Vanessa Fernandes Vanessa de Sousa Fernandes (; born 14 September 1985) is a Portuguese athlete who is a former triathlon European and world champion, and an Olympic medalist. In duathlon, she was also European and world champion. Fernandes won the European ...

, eight place in Athens, who is aiming to grab the Olympic gold medal, following a world title, in 2007, and a fifth consecutive European title, in 2008.

Notes and references

;Notes: ;References: * *
sports-reference
{{Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...