Saudi Arabia at the Olympics

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.

Women's participation in the Olympics

Prior to June 2012, Saudi Arabia banned female athletes from competing at the Olympics."Rice hopes Saudi women will soon compete in Olympics" , AFP, August 17, 2008 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."Saudi women vie for Olympic rights", BBC, June 13, 2008

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."Qatar decision to send female athletes to London 2012 increases pressure on Saudi Arabia", Inside the Games, July 1, 2010 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.""Bar countries that ban women athletes", Ali Al-Ahmed, New York Times, May 19, 2008

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.

Medal tables

Medals by Summer Games GamesAthletesGoldSilverBronzeTotalRank 10 0 0 0 0 – 19 0 0 0 0 – boycotted 39 0 0 0 0 – 9 0 0 0 0 – 9 0 0 0 0 – 32 0 0 0 0 – 18 0 1 1 2 61 17 0 0 0 0 – 15 0 0 0 0 – 18 0 0 1 1 79 11 0 0 0 0 – 33 0 1 0 1 77 8 0 0 0 0 – future event Total 0 2 2 4 123

Medals by Winter Games GamesAthletesGoldSilverBronzeTotalRank 1 0 0 0 0 – 2 0 0 0 0 – future event Total 0 0 0 0 –

Medals by summer sport

List of medalists Medal Name GamesSportEvent Hadi Al-Somaily Athletics Men's 400 metre hurdles Khaled Al Eid Equestrian Individual show jumping Ramzy Al DuhamiAbdullah Al SaudKamal BahamdanAbdullah Sharbatly Equestrian Team jumping Tareg Hamedi Karate Men's +75 kg

Saudi Arabia at the Olympics

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