Chad at the 2004 Summer Olympics
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| Chad at the 2004 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | CHA |
| NOC | Chadian Olympic and Sports Committee |
| in Athens | |
| Competitors | 2 in 1 sport |
| Flag bearer | Kaltouma Nadjina[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Chad competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. The country's participation at Athens marked its tenth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. The delegation included two track and field athletes; Djikoloum Mobele in the men's 100 metres and Kaltouma Nadjina in the women's 400 metres. Both athletes participated at the Games through wild card places since they did not meet the required standards to qualify. Nadjina progressed past the first round of her competition, but was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Chad participated in ten Summer Olympics between its debut in the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The only occasions in that period which they did not attend was at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union.[2] On both occasions, it was because they had joined with international boycotts of the events. The first boycott was because of the inclusion of the New Zealand team at the Games despite the breach of the international sports boycott of South Africa by the nation's rugby union team shortly prior.[3] In 1980, Chad joined with the United States led boycott over the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War.[4]
As of 2004, the highest number of Chadians participating at any one Games was six at both the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, and at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Nor had any Chadian ever won a medal at an Olympics.[2]
The Chadian team for the 2004 Athens Games featured sprinter Kaltouma Nadjina in the women's 400 metres, who had previously competed for the nation at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.[5] Nadjina had trained in the United States and Canada, under an International Olympic Committee scholarship. But after refusing to move from Canada to Senegal following the 2000 Games, she lost her funding, and lived in a spare room of her coach John Cannon's house in Vancouver. Prior to the 2004 Games, she had considered switching her allegiance from Chad to Canada.[6]
