The Islamic Games ( ar, الألعاب الإسلامية, tr, Islam Ülkeleri Spor Oyunlari) was a

multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...

for athletes from

Muslim countries The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

that was held from 26 September to 6 October 1980 in

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

, Turkey. Although 42 nations were invited to compete at the competition, ultimately only ten nations took part, with around 700 athletes present.Lawton, John
The Islamic Games
''Aramco World'' (January/February 1992, Volume 43, Number 1). Retrieved on 2015-01-30. Among the nations competing at the tournament, only

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

had sent delegations to the 1980 Summer Olympics in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

(the rest observed the boycott).

History

The idea for the games was initiated in 1979, following an agreement between foreign ministers at a regional meeting in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

. Izmir was chosen as the host and was well equipped for the task given pre-existing facilities stemming from its hosting of the

1971 Mediterranean Games The 1971 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the VI Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Izmir 1971, were the 6th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in İzmir, Turkey, from 6 to 17 October 1971, where 1,362 athletes (1,235 men an ...

, with İzmir Atatürk Stadium as the main venue.

Anwar Chowdhry Anwar Khurshid Chowdhry (26 October 1923 – 19 June 2010) was a Pakistani sports official who was President of the International Boxing Association (amateur), International Boxing Association from 1986 to 2006. His career spanned almost three ...

, a Pakistani sports official, praised the coming together of Muslim-majority nations, stating that "all the countries competing have relatively the same level of performance

hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...

provides our athletes with encouragement to put on an even better performance". Libya won the five-team

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

tournament, going undefeated.Izmir Tournament 1980
Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved on 2015-01-30. The games was proposed to be held on a quadrennial basis, being scheduled one year before the Summer Olympics to allow Muslim nations to prepare for the larger competition. Saudi Arabia was chosen to host the second Islamic Games in 1983, but ultimately the event was not held. A Women's Islamic Games was started in 1993 and then the

Islamic Solidarity Games The Islamic Solidarity Games ( ar, ألعاب التضامن الإسلامي) is a multinational, multi-sport event. The Games involve the elite athletes of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation who compete in a variety of sports. The Solidari ...

was inaugurated in 2005 in Saudi Arabia, continuing the legacy of an international games between Muslim-majority countries.

Editions

1980 Islamic Games

Sports

Participating nations

Medal table

References

{{Multi-sport events

Islamic Games The Islamic Games ( ar, الألعاب الإسلامية, tr, Islam Ülkeleri Spor Oyunlari) was a multi-sport event for athletes from Muslim countries that was held from 26 September to 6 October 1980 in İzmir, Turkey. Although 42 nations were ...

Sports competitions in Izmir Multi-sport events in Turkey Defunct multi-sport events International sports competitions hosted by Turkey September 1980 sports events in Asia October 1980 sports events in Asia 20th century in İzmir