Senegal competed at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. It was the nation's fourteenth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

. The Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee (french: Comité National Olympique et Sportif Sénégalais, CNOSS) confirmed a team of 22 athletes, 6 men and 16 women, to compete in seven different sports at the Games. The nation's full roster in Rio de Janeiro was roughly nine athletes smaller than those sent to the London Games and also featured more female athletes than males for the third time in its Summer Olympic history.

Women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...

was the only collective sport in which Senegal had representatives at the Games, returning to the Olympic scene for the first time since

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. The Senegalese roster featured four returning Olympians from London 2012; among them were French-born épée fencer

Alexandre Bouzaid Alexandre Bouzaid (born 29 June 1981) is a French-Senegalese épée fencer representing Senegal in international competitions. Twice African champion (2010 and 2011), he took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Career Bouzaid was born in Kaolack, ...

, hammer thrower

Amy Sene Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886–1 ...

, judoka

Hortense Diédhiou Hortense (also spelled Hortance, Hortence and Hortanse) Diédhiou (born 19 August 1983) is a Senegalese judoka. She participated in three Olympic games: 2004 in the -52kg event, 2008 at -52kg and 2012 at -57kg. She was the flag bearer of Senega ...

, who became the nation's first female athlete to compete in four Olympic Games. Meanwhile, freestyle wrestler

Isabelle Sambou Isabelle Sambou (born 20 October 1980, in Mlomp Haer) is a Senegalese freestyle wrestler. She competed in the freestyle 48 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics; she advanced to the bronze medal match, where she was defeated by Carol Huynh. At the ...

, who narrowly missed out the nation's first medal in twenty-four years, led the delegation as the most successful athlete of the previous Games and as Senegal's flag bearer in the opening ceremony. Senegal, however, failed to win its first Olympic medal since the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

in Seoul, where Amadou Dia Bâ obtained the silver in the men's 400 m hurdles.

Athletics

Senegalese athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event): ;Track & road events ;Field events

Basketball

Women's tournament

Senegal women's basketball team qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal and clinching the outright Olympic berth at the AfroBasket Women 2015 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, signifying the nation's return to the sport for the first time since

. ;Team roster ;Group play ---- ---- ---- ----

Canoeing

Slalom

Senegal has qualified one canoeist in the men's C-1 class by obtaining a top finish and an outright Olympic berth at the 2015 African Canoe Slalom Championships in Sagana, Kenya.

Fencing

Senegal has entered one fencer into the Olympic competition. French-born and 2012 Olympian

had claimed a spot in the men's épée, as the highest ranking fencer from Africa outside the world's top eight qualified teams in the FIE Adjusted Official Rankings.

Judo

Senegal has qualified one judoka for the women's lightweight category (57 kg) at the Games. Three-time Olympian

earned a continental quota spot from the African region, as the highest-ranked Senegalese judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016.

Swimming

Senegal has received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.

Taekwondo

Senegal entered one athlete into the taekwondo competition at the Olympics. Balla Dièye secured a spot in the men's lightweight category (68 kg) by virtue of his top two finish at the 2016 African Qualification Tournament in Agadir, Morocco.

Wrestling

Senegal has qualified two wrestlers for each of the following weight classes into the Olympic competition, as a result of their semifinal triumphs at the 2016 African & Oceania Qualification Tournament. ;Men's freestyle ;Women's freestyle

References

External links

* {{Country at games navbox, Senegal, Olympics Nations at the 2016 Summer Olympics

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2016 in Senegalese sport, Olympics