Madagascar
Official name: Republic of Madagascar
Capital: Antananarivo
Currency: Malagasy Ariary
Official language(s): Malagasy, French
Population: 18,606,000
GDP/capita (US$): 905
Madagascar first attended the Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo when
they sent a one person team. Since then they have missed only the
boycotted 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Games. No athletes
from Madagascar have ever won a medal. Traditionally Madagascar has
been best represented in track and field although they have also been
regularly represented in boxing and swimming.
Malawi
Official name: Republic of Malawi
Capital: Lilongwe
Currency: Malawian kwacha
Official language(s): English, Chichewa
Population: 12,884,000
GDP/capita (US$): 596
Malawi first attended the Olympic Games in 1972 when they sent
a seven person squad comprised of runners and swimmers. They missed the
next two iterations of the games, boycotting both the 1976 and 1980
games for political reasons. They were back in 1984 however and been to
every staging of the games since. They have never won a medal.
Mali
Official name: Republic of Mali
Capital: Bamako
Currency: West African CFA franc
Official language(s): French
Population: 13,518,000
GDP/capita (US$): 1,154
Mali made its first appearance at the Olympics as long ago as
1964 in Tokyo. They were back in 1968 and 1972 before boycotting the
1976 Montreal Games. They have attended each of the subsequent stagings
of the games but despite this they have yet to win a medal. Their
football team did perform well back in Athens in 2004 when they
finished top of the group in pool play before eventually going down 1-0
to Italy who scored the winning goal just four minutes before the end
of extra-time.
Mauritania
Official name: Islamic Republic of
Mauritania
Capital: Nouakchott
Currency: Mauritanian ouguiya
Official language(s): Arabic
Population: 3,069,000
GDP/capita (US$): 2,402
Mauritania has sent athletes to every Olympic Games held since
Los Angeles in 1984, although the country has never won an Olympic
medal. Mauritania's teams have been primarily focused on track and
field events with representatives featuring in events from sprints to
the marathon.
Mauritius
Official name: Republic of Mauritius
Capital: Port Louis
Currency: Mauritian rupee
Official language(s): English, French,
Creole
Population: 1,219,220
GDP/capita (US$): 13,703
The little island nation of Mauritius has participated at
every games since Los Angeles in 1984 and they have one medal to their
name. They finally tasted success in Beijing in 2008 when bantamweight
fighter Bruno Julie took bronze in the ring. Despite being surrounded
by water swimming and sailing have never featured prominently in the
makeup of the Mauritian team. Instead their Olympic squads have tended
to focus on athletics, archery, badminton and boxing.
Morocco
Official name: Kingdom of Morocco
Capital: Rabat
Currency: Moroccan dirham
Official language(s): Arabic, Berber
Population: 35,757,175
GDP/capita (US$): 4,600
Morocco boasts a long and proud Olympic history having made
their debut at the event in 1960 in Rome. it was in their first games
that they won their first medal as Rhadi Ben Abdesselam placed second
in the men's marathon. Traditionally very strong on the track Morocco
have gone on to win a total of 21 medals, 18 of them awarded for their
achievements in the middle to long distance races and three for their
endeavors in the boxing ring. Without doubt the most famous Moroccan
athlete is Hicham El Guerrouj, the middle distance star who bagged a
pair of golds in Athens in 2004 with wins in both the 1500 and 5000m
events - becoming the first man in 80 years to win both races in the
same Olympics, a feat last achieved by the legendary Paavo Nurmi in
1924.
Mozambique
Official name: Republic of Mozambique
Capital: Maputo
Currency: Mozambican metical
Official language(s): Portuguese
Population: 20,366,795
GDP/capita (US$): 1,389
Mozambique made their Olympic debut in Moscow and they have
been returning ever since. Over the years the country has become
synonymous with one athlete, the enduring and popular 800m runner Maria
Mutola who was almost an institution in the Mozambique squad for whom
she competed in six successive games. Mutola, who now coaches South
African star Caster Semenya, is regarded as one of the greatest ever
over the distance and she has two medals for her efforts, bronze in
Atlanta and gold in Sydney. Mutola's medals are the only ones to have
been won by Mozambique.
Namibia
Official name: Republic of Namibia
Capital: Windhoek
Currency: Namibian dollar
Official language(s): English
Population: 2,031,000
GDP/capita (US$): 7,478
Namibia made their Olympic debut in 1992 in Barcelona and has
attended every subsequent staging of the games since. To date they have
won four medals, all silver, and all by the same athlete: Frankie
Fredericks. The much decorated sprinter probably ranks as one of the
greatest athletes of his generation never to win an Olympic gold, but
his achievement of silvers in both the 100m and 200m events in
Barcelona and Atlanta are witness to both his durability and
versatility. Fredericks missed out in 2000 due to injury but he was
back in 2004 as a 37-year-old veteran to finish fourth, one place
outside the medals.
Niger
Official name: Republic of Niger
Capital: Niamey
Currency: West African CFA franc
Official language(s): French
Population: 13,957,000
GDP/capita (US$): 872
Niger boxer Issaka Daborg was the first, and to date only
athlete from his country to win an Olympic medal. It was a case of
third time lucky for the brave light welterweight who had fought in
1964 and 1968 when he finally took bronze in Munich in 1972. Daborg was
part of the Niger squad when the country made its Olympic debut in
1964. Since then the West African nation has missed only the boycotted
1976 games and the Moscow games of 1980. Despite their regular
attendance they have never managed another medal.
Rwanda
Official name: Republic of Rwanda
Capital: Kigali
Currency: Rwandan franc
Official language(s): Kinyarwanda,
French, English
Population: 7,600,000
GDP/capita (US$): 1,300
Rwanda has competed in seven Olympics and they have not missed
a staging of the event since they made their debut in Los Angeles in
1984 with a team comprised of three middle distance runners. Since then
the Rwandan team has been dominated by athletes who prefer the middle
to long distance events. They have yet to win an Olympic medal although
they do boast a Paralympic bronze medal after Jean de Dieu Nkundabera
placed third in a wheelchair race in 2004 in Athens.
São Tomé and
Príncipe
Official name: Democratic Republic of
São Tomé and Príncipe
Capital: São Tomé
Currency: São Tomé & Príncipe
Dobra
Official language(s): Portuguese
Population: 157,000
GDP/capita (US$): 1,266
London 2012 will be the fifth consecutive games to be attended
by São Tomé and Príncipe after they made their debut in 1996 in
Atlanta. The small island nation has traditionally been represented in
track and field but in Beijing 2008 they broke the mold when canoeist
Alcino Silva competed in both the 500m and 1000m K-1 events. They have
never won a medal.
Senegal
Official name: Republic of Senegal
Capital: Dakar
Currency: West African CFA franc
Official language(s): French
Population: 11,658,000
GDP/capita (US$): 1,759
Senegal made its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 1964 and has
attended every subsequent staging of the event since then. Indeed the
West African nation was one of the few African countries to travel to
Montreal in 1976, when the rest of the continent chose to boycott.
Despite their regular attendance, Senegal has managed just a single
medal. It came in 1988 in Seoul when Amadou Dia Ba placed second in the
men's 400m hurdles. Dia Ba, who started out as a highjumper switched to
hurdles early in his career and went on to compete in three consecutive
Olympics.
Seychelles
Official name: Republic of Seychelles
Capital: Victoria
Currency: Seychellois rupee
Official language(s): English, French,
Creole
Population: 80,654
GDP/capita (US$): 11,818
A relative late comer to the Olympics the Seychelles first
attended the global showpiece in Moscow in 1980. They have attended
every subsequent staging of the event although they boycotted Seoul in
1988 in a show of solidarity with North Korea. Not surprisingly given
their island location the Seychelles have regularly competed in water
based events like canoeing, sailing and swimming.
Sierra
Leone
Official name: Republic of Sierra Leone
Capital: Freetown
Currency: Leone
Official language(s): English
Population: 6,144,562
GDP/capita (US$): 903
After making their games debut in 1968, Sierra Leone missed
the next two iterations of the event. But they were back in 1980 and
they have been an ever-present since. The country's most famous athlete
is former heptathlon and long jump champion Eunice Barber, who
eventually switched to compete for France. However she started out in
Sierra Leonean colours and attended both the 1992 and 1996 games with
the African team, for whom she almost won a medal when she placed fifth
in the heptathlon in Atlanta.
Somalia
Official name: Somali Republic
Capital: Mogadishu
Currency: Somali shilling
Official language(s): Somali, Arabic
Population: 9,832,017
GDP/capita (US$): 600
Politics and civil war have prevented Somalia from being
regular Olympic attendees and they have attended just seven games since
making their debut in 1972. As a result of the aforementioned troubles
even when they have attended they have only managed to send small
teams, usually comprised of a handful of long and middle distance
runners. The best finish by a Somali athlete was in Atlanta in 1996
when Abdi Bile placed sixth in the final of the men's 1500m.
South Sudan
Official name: Republic of South Sudan
Capital: Juba
Currency: South Sudanese pound
Official language(s): English
Population: 8,260,490
GDP/capita (US$):
As a brand new country that only came into being in 2011 South
Sudan has never previously attended the Olympics. Its previous exposure
to the games was through being a part of Sudan. Its newfound
independence meant there was little time to get the structures in place
required to attend a games, but no effort has been spared in ensuring
qualification and if all goes according to plan a handful of distance
runners and a wheelchair basketball team are expected to attend the
Olympics and the Paralympics respectively.
Sudan
Official name: Republic of the Sudan
Capital: Khartoum
Currency: Sudanese pound
Official language(s): Arabic, English
Population: 36,787,012
GDP/capita (US$): 2,300
Sudan first participated at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960.
They skipped the 1964 Games and along with most other African nations
they boycotted the 1976 Montreal games. They were also part of the
American-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Sudan finally tasted
medal success in their tenth games in Beijing in 2008, when Dafur
native Ismail Ahmed Ismail finished second in the men's 800m.
Swaziland
Official name: Kingdom of Swaziland
Capital: Lobamba
Currency: Lilangeni
Official language(s): English, Swati
Population: 1,032,000
GDP/capita (US$): 5,245
Swaziland first attended the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972
when they sent a one-man team comprising of marathon runner Richard
Mabuza. They skipped both the 1976 and 1980 games but were back in 1984
with a team that was comprised of three swimmers and a runner. Indeed
they have not missed out on attending a games since 1984, although
despite this they have yet to win a medal.
Tanzania
Official name: United Republic of
Tanzania
Capital: Dodoma
Currency: Tanzanian shilling
Official language(s): Swahili, English
Population: 37,849,133
GDP/capita (US$): 723
Tanzania has been a regular Olympic participant since 1964
when it made its game’s debut as Tanganyika. Along with most other
African nations it missed the 1976 Montreal games. Without a doubt the
East African nation’s most successful games was Moscow in 1980 when
they bagged their first, and to date only medals, as both Suleiman
Nyambui, in the men's 5,000m, and Filbert Bayi in the men's 3,000m
steeplechase, finished with silvers.
Togo
Official name: Togolese Republic
Capital: Lomé
Currency: West African CFA franc
Official language(s): French
Population: 6,100,000
GDP/capita (US$): 1,700
Like most African nations Togo has attended the Olympics
regularly, only missing out on the boycotted games of 1976 and 1980.
They first appeared at the 1972 games in Munich where their team was
comprised of two runners and three cyclists. They won their first, and
to date only medal in 2008 in Beijing when French-born slalom canoer
Benjamin Boukpeti, who opted to represent the country of his father's
birth, won bronze in the K-1 event.
Tunisia
Official name: Tunisian Republic
Capital: Tunis
Currency: Tunisian dinar
Official language(s): Arabic
Population: 10,102,000
GDP/capita (US$): 8,800
Given their location on the Mediterranean, and their proximity
to Greece, Tunisia boasts a long association with the Olympics with
history showing that they were represented at the original games in
300BC. But in terms of the modern Olympics Tunisia have been regulars
since Rome in 1960, only missing their 1980 Moscow games when they
joined the United States led boycott. Their most successful athlete was
the outstanding middle-distance runner Mohammed Gammoudi who won medals
in three consecutive games. His best effort saw him take gold in Mexico
City in 1968 in the 5000m. But he also bagged a pair of silvers, in
1964 and 1972 for the 10000m and 5000m respectively and a bronze in
Mexico City for the 10000m. Gammoudi aside Tunisia have won just three
other medals, the most recent in 2008 when Oussama Mellouli took first
place in the men's 1500m freestyle.
Uganda
Official name: Republic of Uganda
Capital: Kampala
Currency: Ugandan shilling
Official language(s): English, Swahili
Population: 27,616,000
GDP/capita (US$): 1,700
Uganda first participated at the Olympic Games in Melbourne
1956. They have sent athletes to every subsequent staging of the games
aside from the boycotted 1976 Olympics. Their Olympic adventures have
yielded a total of six medals with the bulk of their success being
achieved in the boxing ring. It was bantamweight Eridadi Mukwanga with
a silver and flyweight Leo Rwabwogo with a bronze who first achieved
success for Uganda back in 1976. Since then Uganda has bagged a further
two silvers in the ring. They have also won two track and field medals
with their only gold medal won by the late John Akii-Bua in 1972, when
he triumphed in the men's 400m hurdles in a then world record time of
47.82 seconds.
Zambia
Official name: Republic of Zambia
Capital: Lusaka
Currency: Zambian kwacha
Official language(s): English
Population: 14,668,000
GDP/capita (US$): 931
Zambia made their Olympic debut as Northern Rhodesia in 1964
in Tokyo. Four years later they were back as Zambia, and aside from the
boycotted 1976 Olympics they have participated at each subsequent
event. They won their first medal in Los Angeles in 1984 when Keith
Mwila placed third in the light flyweight boxing division. His success
was surpassed in 1996 when Samuel Matete went one better and claimed
silver in the men's 400m hurdles in Atlanta in 1996.
Zimbabwe
Official name: Republic of Zimbabwe
Capital: Harare
Currency: Zimbabwean dollar
Official language(s): Shona, Ndebele,
English
Population: 13,010,000
GDP/capita (US$): 2,607
Zimbabwe first attended the Olympics back in 1928 as Rhodesia.
They returned on two more occasions in that guise, in 1960 and 1964
before political changes and independence saw them become Zimbabwe in
1980. The change of name brought about immediate success on the medals
front as the team that attended Moscow in 1980 returned with a gold
medal for women's field hockey - an award that came about in somewhat
peculiar circumstances. Due to the boycott of the games by the USA and
several other countries, only the hosts were scheduled to play in the
women's field hockey tournament. Zimbabwe saw the chance, scrambled a
team together and they duly went on to win. The only other medalist
from Zimbabwe is swimming sensation Kirsty Coventry who boasts two
backstroke golds, four silvers and a bronze, accumulated in the pool in
Athens and Beijing.
