Djibouti took part in 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 ...

, which were held in Beijing,

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 ...

from 8 to 24 August 2008. The country's participation at Beijing marked its sixth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1984. The Djibouti delegation included two athletes in 2008; Mahamoud Farah, a middle-distance runner, and Fathia Ali Bouraleh, a sprinter.

Hussein Ahmed Salah Hussein Ahmed Salah ( ar, حسين أحمد صلاح, so, Xuseen Axmed Saalax) is a Djiboutian former long-distance runner, best known for winning a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also won silver medals in this eve ...

, Djibouti's only Olympic medalist, was selected as the flag bearer for both the

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and

closing ceremonies Closing may refer to: Business and law * Closing (law), a closing argument, a summation * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction * Closing (sales), the process of making a sale * Closing a business, the proc ...

despite not competing in 2008. None of the Djiboutian athletes progressed further than the heat round.

Background

Djibouti participated in five summer Olympic games between its debut 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 secon ...

in Los Angeles, United States of America and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Djibouti made their Olympic debut in 1984, sending three athletes to the games. The most number of Djiboutian athletes participating in a summer games is

eight 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art *The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the As ...

in the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain. Only one Djiboutian athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympics, that was Hussein Ahmed Salah, a marathon runner, who won a bronze medal in the 1988

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. Two athletes from Djibouti were selected to compete in the Beijing games; Mahamoud Farah in the track and field

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

and Fathia Ali Bouraleh in the track and field

100 m 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Athletics

Djibouti was represented by one male athlete at the 2008 Olympics in athletics: Mahamoud Farah, a

runner. It was Farah's Olympic debut but he had previously competed in the

2007 IAAF World Championships The 11th World Championships in Athletics, () under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007. 200 of the IAAF's 212 member federat ...

. He competed on 15 August in Beijing, and finished 8th out of 12 in heat four in a time of 3minutes and 43.62seconds. He was 8.83seconds behind the winner of his heat,

Mohamed Moustaoui Mohamed Moustaoui (born 2 April 1985, in Khouribga) is a Moroccan middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. He was born in Khouribga. Competition record Personal bests Outdoors *800 metres - 1:45.44 (2009) *1500 metres - 3:31 ...

. Overall he finished 42nd out of 53 athletes, and he was 1.32seconds slower than the slowest athlete that progressed to the semi-final round and, therefore, that was the end of his competition. Beijing National Stadium 1

Competing at her first Olympics, Fathia Ali Bouraleh was the oldest competitor for Djibouti at these Olympics, aged 20. She competed in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

on 16 August. Ali Bouraleh was drawn into heat four. Ali Bouraleh ran a time of 14.29seconds and finished last in her heat, 2.99second behind the winner, Chandra Sturrup. She finished 84th out of 85 athletes overall and was 0.51seconds faster than the slowest athlete,

Robina Muqimyar Robina Jalali, also known as Robina Muqimyar (born 3 July 1986), is a former Olympic athlete who represented Afghanistan at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and in 30 international events competing in the 100-meter sprint. She was 3.16seconds behind the fastest athlete and 2.64seconds behind the slowest athlete who progressed to the semi-finals,

Thi Huong Vu Thi ( Quốc ngữ: Thị; Hán-Nôm: ) is a Vietnamese name, usually given as a middle name to females (''see: Vietnamese name''). It may also refer to: * City of Thi, a city in ''The Wizard of Oz'' * ''thị'', Vietnamese term for persimmons ...

. Therefore, Ali Bouraleh did not progress to the quarter-finals.

Notes

References

{{Country at games navbox, Djibouti, 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; ...

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...