# Djibouti at the Olympics: Hussein Ahmed Salah's 1988 bronze and every Games

> Djibouti at the Olympic Games: the 1984 debut, Hussein Ahmed Salah's 1988 marathon bronze, team sizes by Games, sports, the Olympic committee and Youth Olympics.

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Last checked: 2026-11-12
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## Debut and the Olympic committee

Djibouti, known as [French Somaliland](/en/relations/france/) until 1967 and as the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas until independence on 27 June 1977, could first have gone to the 1980 Moscow Games but joined the boycott over the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Its National Olympic Committee was founded in 1983 and recognised by the IOC on 26 July 1984 at its Los Angeles session, in time for the Games that year ([Olympedia, Djibouti](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/DJI); [Djibouti at the Olympics, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_Olympics)). Aïcha Garad Ali has led the committee since 2005, re-elected in 2013, 2017 and 2021 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_Olympics)).

## Team sizes

| Games | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 Los Angeles | 3 | 0 |
| 1988 Seoul | 6 | 0 |
| 1992 Barcelona | 8 | 0 |
| 1996 Atlanta | 5 | 0 |
| 2000 Sydney | 1 | 1 |
| 2004 Athens | entered, did not compete | |
| 2008 Beijing | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 London | 2 | 2 |
| 2016 Rio | 6 | 1 |
| 2020 Tokyo | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 Paris | 5 | 2 |

Source: [Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/DJI). In 2004 Djibouti entered athletes in athletics and tennis, but none competed, for reasons Olympedia records as unknown.

## The marathon tradition

At Los Angeles 1984 all three Djiboutians ran the marathon: Djama Robleh finished eighth in 2:11:39, Hussein Ahmed Salah 20th and Omar Abdillahi Charmarke 32nd ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_Olympics)). At Seoul 1988 **Hussein Ahmed Salah** won bronze in the marathon, Djibouti's only Olympic medal so far ([Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/DJI); [Sports Reference, 1988 marathon](https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1988/ATH/mens-marathon.html)). He also became Djibouti's oldest Olympian, running at [Atlanta](/en/diaspora/atlanta-clarkston/) 1996 aged 39 years and 217 days.

At Rio 2016 **Ayanleh Souleiman** finished fourth in the 1,500 metres ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_Olympics)).

## Sports and firsts

- **Sports:** athletics (22 Olympians), judo (4), swimming (5), sailing (2) and table tennis (1) ([Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/DJI)).
- **First woman:** Roda Ali Wais, at Sydney 2000, aged 16 years and 62 days, also Djibouti's youngest Olympian ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_Olympics)).
- **Largest team:** eight, at Barcelona 1992.

## Youth Olympics

Djibouti sent 4 athletes to Singapore 2010, 5 to Nanjing 2014, 5 to Buenos Aires 2018 and 4 to Dakar 2026, in athletics, judo, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and wushu. It won one bronze in athletics, at Nanjing 2014 ([Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/DJI)).

## World Championships and Paralympics

Wikipedia keeps separate articles on Djiboutian teams at the World Athletics Championships of 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 ([for example, 2013](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_2013_World_Championships_in_Athletics)), and on Djibouti at the Paralympic Games ([Djibouti at the Paralympics, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti_at_the_Paralympics)).

## Read more

- [Somalia at the Olympics](/en/society/somalia-at-the-olympics/)
- [Football in Djibouti](/en/society/football-in-djibouti/)
- [Sport in Somalia](/en/society/sport-in-somalia/)

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