Raising the UAE’s Flag in Olympic History
The UAE flag was raised at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles for the first time in 1984. Since then, the UAE continues to take part in the Olympics regularly, with its most recent participation being at the 2024 Games in Paris. In this section, we will take you on a quick tour of the cities in which the people of the United Arab Emirates proudly raised the UAE flag every time they participated in the Olympic Games.
It is worth noting that in the 2024Olympics, Omar Al Marzouqi and Safiya Al Sayegh had the honor of raising theUAE flag during the official opening of the "Paris 2024" OlympicGames. This marks a historic moment as Al Marzouqi, a 21-year-old equestrian in the UAE national show jumping team 🥇, and Al Sayegh, a 23-year-old star representing the national cycling team 🥉, are among the youngest Emirati athletes to have the honor of raising the UAE flag at the Olympics.
1984 – Los Angeles
The UAE made its Olympic debut at the1984 Los Angeles Games, where 7 athletes competed in track and field events.The participants were Ibrahim Aziz, Khamis Al Jarbi, Sultan Marzouq, ShadadSaeed, Mubarak Ismail, Mohammed Abdullah, and Hilal Mohammed.
1988 – Seoul
At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the UAE’s delegation increased to 12 athletes, competing in swimming and cycling.
1992 – Barcelona
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics saw a delegation of 10 athletes participating in track and field, cycling, and swimming.
1996 – Atlanta
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the UAE participated with 5 athletes across 5 sports for the first time: track and field, cycling, shooting, swimming, and bowling (as a demonstration sport).
2000 – Sydney
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 4 athletes represented the UAE in 3 sports: shooting, swimming, and track and field. Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum competed in skeet shooting, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum in double trap shooting, Ayoub Salem Al Mass in the 50m freestyle swimming, and Ali Khamis Al Neyadi in the 200m track event.
2004 – Athens
The 2004 Athens Olympics marked a historic milestone for UAE sports, 20 years after its first participation. Four athletes competed in shooting, swimming, and track and field. Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum made history by winning the UAE’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in double trap shooting. Additionally, Mohamed Khamis earned the UAE’s first gold medal in the Paralympic Games.
2008 – Beijing
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the UAE participated with 8 athletes across 7 sports for the first time, including new sports like judo, taekwondo, and sailing, alongside shooting, equestrian, swimming, and track and field. Mohamed Khamis also won a silver medal in theParalympic Games.
2012 – London
The 2012 London Olympics featured the UAE’s largest delegation in its Olympic history, with 32 athletes competing across 7 sports: football, shooting, track and field, sailing, swimming, weightlifting, and judo. The UAE men’s football team qualified for the Olympics for the first time.
2016 – Rio de Janeiro
The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics marked the UAE’s second significant achievement, with 13 athletes competing in 5 sports: shooting, track and field, cycling, swimming, and judo. Sergiu Toma won the bronze medal in the 81kg judo category, marking the UAE’s second Olympic medal. Neda Al Bedwawi also became the first Emirati female swimmer to participate in the Olympics. Mohamed Khamis earned a gold medal in theParalympic Games.
2020-2021 – Tokyo
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021. The UAE participated with 5 athletes in 4 sports: shooting, judo, swimming, and track and field.
2024 – Paris
Held from July 26 to August 11, 2024, the UAE participated in its 11th Olympic Games, with 14 athletes competing in 5 sports: equestrian, judo, cycling, swimming, and track and field. This marked 40 years since the UAE’s first appearance at the 1984 LosAngeles Games.The UAE sports delegation concluded its 11th participation in the Olympic Games, which began 40 years ago in the 1984 Los Angeles edition. This was part of the 33rd edition of the Olympic Games, hosted by the French Capital, Paris, from 26 July to 11 Aug. The UAE was presented by 14 athletes competing in 5 different sports: equestrian, judo, athletics, cycling and swimming.
Mohamed Khamis' Participation
The participation of Mohamed Khamis, the UAE’s Paralympic weightlifting champion, in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is historic, marking his seventh consecutive appearance in the Paralympics. His 24-year career is crowned with three Paralympic medals.
