Saudi Arabia at the Olympics
Sporting event delegation
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Saudi Arabia has competed in 13 Summer Olympic Games. The nation first appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, West Germany. The nation also made its debut at the Winter Olympic Games in the 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing, China.
Ranked 123rd
- Gold
- 0
- Silver
- 2
- Bronze
- 2
- Total
- 4
Women's participation in the Olympics
Prior to June 2012, Saudi Arabia banned female athletes from competing at the Olympics.[1][2] However, following the International Olympic Committee pressuring the Saudi Olympic Committee to send female athletes to the 2012 Summer Olympics, in June 2012 the Saudi Embassy in London announced this had been agreed.[3][4]
There were calls for Saudi Arabia to be barred from the Olympics until it permitted women to compete, notably from Anita DeFrantz, chair of the International Olympic Committee's Women and Sports Commission, in 2010.[5] In 2008, Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, likewise called for Saudi Arabia to be barred from the Games, describing its ban on women athletes as a violation of the International Olympic Committee charter. Stating that gender discrimination should be no more acceptable than racial discrimination, he noted: "For the last 15 years, many international nongovernmental organizations worldwide have been trying to lobby the IOC for better enforcement of its own laws banning gender discrimination. [...] While [its] efforts did result in increasing numbers of women Olympians, the IOC has been reluctant to take a strong position and threaten the discriminating countries with suspension or expulsion."[6]
Dalma Rushdi Malhas competed at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics and won a bronze medal in equestrian (see Saudi Arabia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics). Saudi Arabia agreed on July 12, 2012, to send two women to compete in that year's Games in London, England: the two female athletes were Wojdan Shaherkani in judo, and 800-meter runner Sarah Attar.[7]
Medals
Medals by Summer Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Munich | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1976 Montreal | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980 Moscow | boycotted | |||||
| 1984 Los Angeles | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988 Seoul | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992 Barcelona | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996 Atlanta | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000 Sydney | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 61 |
| 2004 Athens | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008 Beijing | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012 London | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 79 |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020 Tokyo | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 77 |
| 2024 Paris | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2028 Los Angeles | future event | |||||
| 2032 Brisbane | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 123 | |
Medals by Winter Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Beijing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026 Milano Cortina | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2030 French Alps | future event | |||||
| 2034 Utah | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |
Medals by summer sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Athletics | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Karate | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals (3 entries) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
