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South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...
competed at the
2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. South Sudan had been an independent nation since 2011, but its civil war had delayed its membership with the International Olympic Committee until 2015, making 2016 its first official appearance at the Olympic Games. The country was offered three universality placements in athletics, as no South Sudanese athletes met the Olympic qualifying standards prior to the Games. Three athletes, two men and one woman, competed in three track and field events, but did not win any medals. The sole woman, Margret Rumat Hassan, was given a spot eight days prior to the start of the Games that had been allotted previously to Mangar Makur Chuot. This change was against the advice of the South Sudan Athletics Federation and was due allegedly to pressure from
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
, for whom Hassan had appeared in an advertisement. The flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremony was Guor Marial, a marathon runner who, then unable to represent South Sudan, had competed as an Independent Olympic Athlete in 2012. Five South Sudanese nationals also competed as members of the
Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a sy ...
.


Background

South Sudan gained its independence from
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
in 2011, but the
South Sudanese Civil War The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'éta ...
made it difficult for the nation to garner the support of five sport federations as required for its
National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
to gain recognition by the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
. Guor Marial, a South Sudanese refugee living in the United States, competed in the men's marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but did so as an Independent Olympic Athlete after refusing to compete for
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. South Sudan became the 206th IOC member in August 2015, with the affiliations of track and field, basketball,
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, handball, judo, table tennis, and taekwondo. The nation chose Marial at its flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. In addition to South Sudan's official team, five delegates of the ten-member
Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a sy ...
,
James Chiengjiek James Nyang Chiengjiek (born March 2, 1992) is a runner originally from South Sudan, but now living and training in Kenya. He was selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) at the 2016 Su ...
, Yiech Biel,
Paulo Amotun Paulo Amotun Lokoro (born 1 January 1992) is a South Sudanese track and field athlete now living in Kenya. He specializes in the 1500 metres event. Lokoro was selected as one of the ten members of the Refugee Olympic Team for the 2016 Summer Ol ...
,
Rose Lokonyen Rose Nathike Lokonyen (born 24 February 1995) is a track and field athlete from South Sudan, but who later lived and trained in Kenya. Early life Lokonyen was born in South Sudan. Her father is a soldier and she has four younger siblings. W ...
, and
Anjelina Lohalith Anjelina Nadai Lohalith (born 1993, credited as January 1) is a track and field athlete originally from South Sudan, but now living and training in Kenya. She competed as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Early li ...
, were of South Sudanese origin. All were residents of the
Kakuma Kakuma is a town in northwestern Turkana County, Kenya. It is the site of a UNHCR refugee camp, established in 1992. The population of Kakuma town was 60,000 in 2014, having grown from around 8,000 in 1990. In 1991, the camp was established to h ...
Refugee Camp in Kenya, who had settled there following violent conflicts in their homeland. Lokonyen served as the team's flagbearer in the opening ceremony.


Athletics (track and field)

No South Sudanese athletes met the Olympic qualifying standards, but the nation was allotted three universality places to compete in track and field events. The South Sudan Athletics Federation nominated Marial,
Santino Kenyi Santino Kenyi (born 14 August 1993) is a South Sudanese middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sport ...
, and
Mangar Makur Chuot Mangar may refer to: * Mangar (fish), a species of fish native to the Middle East * Mangar Bani, an archaeological site and hill forest in Faridabad district, Haryana, India * Mangar people, an ethnic group of Nepal * Mangar language (Nepal), ...
to fill these spots. Eight days prior to the start of the Games, however, the South Sudan National Olympic Committee informed Chuot, who had already been accredited, by email that he had been removed from the team. Chuot was a refugee who had fled the
Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated ...
after the death of his father and been resettled in Australia in 2008. In 2014 he became the Australian 200 metre champion, but elected to compete for South Sudan rather than Australia at the Games. After his selection for the South Sudanese delegation was confirmed in December 2015, he returned to the country of his birth and became the 2016 South Sudanese 100 and 200 m champion, setting a national record in the latter discipline. The NOC chose Margret Hassan, a competitor in the 200 m event, to take his spot, despite another athlete, national record holder Viola Lado, having posted a better time in the lead up to the Olympics. When the Athletics Federation protested, the NOC claimed that
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
, who had featured Hassan in one of their advertisements, had pressured the organization to give her one of the spots, an accusation that Samsung denied. When his appeal to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its ...
was rejected, Chuot proclaimed his decision to leave the sport.


Results

Hassan was originally interested in association football before deciding to take up track and field athletics. Despite a lack of training opportunities and facilities, she was given the opportunity to participate in the
2014 Summer Youth Olympics The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics (), officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games , and commonly known as Nanjing 2014 ( zh, c=南京2014, p=Nánjīng Èr Líng yī sì), were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports ...
but, since South Sudan was not yet a member of the International Olympic Committee, she competed as an Individual Olympic Athlete. She took part in the 400 m, but did not win a medal. She also attended the 2016 African Championships in Athletics, where she was eliminated in the heats of the 200 m event. For the 2016 Summer Games, she was again entered in the women's 200 m, where she was placed in heat four. This heat contained eventual gold medal-winner
Elaine Thompson Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah OD (née Thompson; born June 28, 1992) is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champ ...
of Jamaica, although it was won by the Ivory Coast's
Marie-Josée Ta Lou Gonezie Marie Josée Dominique Ta Lou (born 18 November 1988) is an Ivorian sprinter competing in the 100 metres and 200 m. She finished fourth in the 100 metres and 200 metres finals at the 2016 Olympic Games, missing out on a medal in the 100 ...
. Hassan finished eighth and last, although she set a new personal best of 26.99. Kenyi took up middle-distance running in 2012 and was a specialist in the 800 and 1500 metre distances. He delayed his final year of high school in order to train for the Olympics. He was selected to represent South Sudan in the men's 1500 m and was placed in heat one, which included
Matthew Centrowitz Jr. Matthew Centrowitz Jr. (born October 18, 1989) is an American middle-distance runner who is the 2016 Olympic champion in the 1500 meters. He became a prominent figure in U.S. running when he won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships i ...
of the United States, the eventual gold medalist. Kenyi's heat was won by 2008 Olympic Champion Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, while Kenyi himself finished 12th among 14 runners and did not advance. Marial, who competed in the men's marathon, was the only Olympic veteran among the three. He had fled the Second Sudanese Civil War in 1999 and settled in the United States in 2001, where he took up athletics in high school. He ran for
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of th ...
during his college career and was selected as a member of the
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n team. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he had finished 47th in a field of 105 competitors. He was slated to make South Sudan's debut at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, but failed to appear for the event. In Rio, he finished 82nd in a field of 155 competitors with a season-best time of 2:22.45. ;Track & road events


References


External links

*
Samsung advertisement featuring Margret Hassan
{{Country at games navbox, South Sudan, Summer Olympics Nations at the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...