Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

took part in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

, which were held in

Los Angeles, United States Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

from July 28 to August 12. The 1984 Summer Olympics were Djibouti's first Olympic appearance. The delegation included three marathon athletes, Djama Robleh, Ahmed Salah, and Omar Abdillahi Charmarke, none of whom won a medal.

Background

Prior to competing in these Olympic Games, Djibouti had never participated in the Olympics. Djibouti gained independence from France in 1977, making 1980 the first Summer Olympics the country would be eligible for. Djibouti was one of 65 countries that boycotted the

1980 Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

in protest of the

Soviet war in Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Dajama Robleh, who participated in these Games, had won a silver medal in the

1982 African Championships in Athletics The 1982 African Championships in Athletics were held in Cairo, Egypt between 25 and 28 August. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table See also *1982 in athletics (track and field) External linksResults– GBR Athletics ...

for the men's full marathon with a time of 2:31:06. Ahmed Salah had participated in both the 1983 World Championships in Athletics and the

1984 African Championships in Athletics The 1984 African Championships in Athletics were held in Rabat, Morocco from August 12 to August 15, 1984 in the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table See also * 1984 in athletics (track and ...

prior to these Olympics. He did not finish the marathon in 1983, and he won a silver medal in the 1984 10,000 metres run with a time of 28:17.4.

Athletics

All three of Djibouti's athletes that participated in the Olympics competed in the men's marathon. The marathon started at

Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Although initially serving primarily pre-college high sc ...

and the finish line was on the track at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Djama Robleh was the flagbearer for Djibouti. He completed the marathon in two hours, eleven minutes and thirty-nine seconds finishing in eighth place. Since this was Djibouti's first Olympics, Robleh set Djibouti's Olympic Record for the marathon. Robleh finished before two of the three marathoners who were considered the best at the time,

Toshihiko Seko is a Japanese former long-distance runner. He was a world-class marathon competitor in the 1980s. He represented his native country at the 1984 and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Seko's notable marathon wins include Fukuoka Mar ...

and

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where ...

Olympic Torch Tower of the Los Angeles Coliseum

In what was his sixth ever marathon, Ahmed Salah finished in 2:15:59 and achieved twentieth place. Salah won a bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics to become the only Djiboutian medalist in the Olympics. Omar Abdillahi Charmarke completed the marathon in two hours, nineteen minutes, and eleven seconds, finishing in thirty-second place. The medals in the event went to athletes from

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 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

Men

References

{{Country at games navbox, Djibouti, Olympics Nations at the 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Olymp