The Olympics – Just Squeaking In

71 countries have been to the Olympics and never won a thing. 15 have won a single medal, with 10 of those winning only a bronze.

So, who are those 10, and who were their sole Olympians?

Barbados

Number: 14 / 1st: 1968

• Previously competed as part of the West Indies Federation
• One Barbadian was on the 1960 team, winning a bronze for the 4 x 400 m relay 

Obadele Thompson / men’s 100m / 2000

• 3-time Olympian
• Holds world indoor record for 55 m
• Went to UTEP, where he was an 11-time All American
• Got a law degree from Univ of Texas

And wrote a book to boot

Burkina Fasso

11 / 1972

• Previously named (and competed as) Upper Volta
• Only 1 athlete competed in 1972

Hugues Fabrice Zango / men’s triple jump / 2020

• World indoor record holder
• Has a PhD in electrical engineering

Cape Verde

8 / 1996

• Officially competes as Cabo Verde
• Specialty is men’s marathon

Daniel Varela de Pina / men’s flyweight boxing / 2024

• Competitors must be 112 lbs or less
• Was flag bearer

Djibouti

10 / 1984

• Had a 4th-place finish in 2016 in the men’s 1500 m
• Have competed in judo, swimming, sailing & table tennis events

Hussein Ahmad Salah / men’s marathon / 1988

• Won the Paris Marathon in 1986
• Placed 2nd in the NYC Marathon in 1985

Eritrea

7 / 2000

• Actually appeared in a Winter Olympics – 2018, in alpine skiing
• That participant, Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda, was an Eritrean refugee who was born & grew up in Canada

Zersenay Tadese / men’s 10K m / 2004

• 4-time Olympian (2004 – 2016)
• Held men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018
• Started his athletic career in cycling

Guyana

19 / 1948

• Has sent only 1 athlete twice
• Won 2 medals participating as a British colony

Michael Anthony / men’s bantamweight boxing / 1980

• AKA Michael Parris
• Loved cricket as a youth
• Has 8 children

Iraq

16 / 1948

• Boycotted 3 Olympics (apartheid, Suez Canal Crisis)
• Came in 4th in soccer in 2004

Abdul Wahid Aziz / weightlifting / 1960

• Competed in lightweight division (149 lbs or less)
• Imprisoned twice for his politics (1963 & 1980)
• Became a referee after retiring from competition

Mauritius

11 / 1984

• Sent 26 athletes to Atlanta in 1996
• Has competed in archery, badminton, beach volleyball, cycling, sailing, table tennis & wrestling

Bruno Julie / bantamweight boxing / 2008

• Bantamweight has a 135-lb weight restriction
• Known as the “Mauritian Magician” and the “Creole Crusher”

Refugees

3 / 2016

• Represent athletes who have had to flee their home countries
• Use the Olympic flag & anthem
• Had 37 athletes in 2024 & 29 in 2020
• South Sudan, Syria & Iran include the most athletes

Cindy Ngamba / women’s 75 kg boxing / 2024

• Originally from Cameroon
• Moved to the UK at age 11
• Was granted refugee status for her sexuality (she is a lesbian)

Togo

12 / 1972

• Sent 2 skiers to the Winter Olympics in 2014
• One grew up in France, and one was born in Italy

Benjmain Boukpeti / K1 kayak slalom / 2008

• Born & raised in France (and is a dual national)
• Visited Togo once, as a child
• Spell check wants me to change his name to Booklet