Afghanistan’s Country Profile
Official country name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Area: 250,001 sq miles (647,500 sq km)
Population: 31.9 million (2007 est.)
Median age: 17.6
Ethnic Groups: Pashtun 42 percent, Tajik 27 percent, Hazara 9 percent, Uzbek 9 percent, Aimak 4 percent, Turkmen 3 percent, Baloch 2 percent, other 4 percent
GDP and GDP per capita: $8.8 billion and $800 (2006 estimates)
Afghanistan’s Olympic History
First time represented at Summer Olympics: 1936
Gold medals won: 0
Silver: 0
Bronze: 1
Medals at 2008 Beijing Olympics:1 Bronze
Afghanistan’s Olympic Playbook
Afghanistan's most famous place in Olympic history has nothing to do with sports. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979, the United States responded by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. In all, 65 countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics. The Soviet Union retaliated four years later, boycotting the Los Angeles Olympics. Afghanistan was one of the 14 nations that, generally without much choice, followed the Soviet Union's lead.
Afghanistan's Olympic history is valiant, but not in the medal count. Other than Liechtenstein, where throwing a javelin or a discus can mean hitting Austria to the east or Switzerland anywhere else, Afghanistan is the only country that has been going to the Olympics for so long (since 1936) without returning with a medal. It did not, however, compete in 1952, 1976, 1984, 1992 and 1996--the last three occasions either because it was under occupation by the Soviets or torn up by civil war.
Nevertheless, Afghanistan had high hopes in Beijing. Last year, Nesar Ahmad Bahawi, the country's premier taekwondo master, won a silver medal in an international competition in Beijing. On him rested Afghanistan's hopes for a first Olympic medal.
As it turned out, Bahawi went home without a medal, but teammate Rohullah Nikpai did not. He won a bronze, defeating a world champion Spaniart to clinch Afghanistan first-ever medal.
In the run-up to the games Afghanistan devoted $4 million for its athletes' training facilities and diet.
Until early July, Afghanistan was counting on five athletes to represent it in Beijing. But in early July, runner Mehboba Ahdyar , who planned to compete in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters events, went missing. The Associated Press reported that she was seeking political asylum in Norway, and that there'd been "fears that Ahdyar's disappearance could be linked to death threats from Muslim extremists in Afghanistan opposed to women running in the Olympics." (Ahdyar had planned to wear a veil during compertition.) As of late July, she was still missing. (Time magazine devoted a feature to the mystery.
Afghanistan’s Athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Taekwondo
Nesar Ahmad Bahave
Rohullah Nikpai (Won Bronze in 58kg)
Track & Field/Athletics
Massoud Azizi
Robina Muqimyar
