Bahrain at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Bahrain competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. It was Bahrain’s ninth straight appearance at the Games. The Bahrain Olympic Committee sent 35 athletes (21 men and 14 women) across four sports, the largest team Bahrain had ever sent to the Olympics.
Bahrain made its debut in wrestling at these Games. The team also competed in athletics (track and field), swimming, and shooting.
The flag bearer at the opening ceremony was Farhan Saleh, a freestyle swimmer and the first Bahraini man to carry the flag since 2004.
Bahrain won two medals, its best Olympic result ever: gold for Ruth Jebet in the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase and silver for Eunice Kirwa in the women’s marathon. Bahrain finished 48th in the medal table.
Many Bahraini athletes were born outside Bahrain, with a large number coming from Africa, especially Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Notable team members included sprinters Abubakar Abbas and Ali Khamis; Mimi Belete and Shitaye Eshete (Ethiopian-born); Eunice Kirwa (Kenyan-born marathon runner); Kemarley Brown and Andrew Fisher (Jamaican-born sprinters); Adam Batirov (Russian-born wrestler); and Farhan Saleh, who carried the flag at the opening ceremony. Bahrain also received a universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers and an invitation from ISSF to include Mahmood Haji in the men’s rifle events.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:14 (CET).