The four countries with only one athlete in the Games

The universality of the Olympic Games is unquestionable. And extreme. From the enormous strength of some nations that grew in the boat on ceremonial duty across the Seine, to the sadness of others. Because there is no country on the planet that is not or has not been in the Olympic universe. And sometimes just one athlete is enough.

Four countries compete in the Paris Games with one athlete. And, of course, on Friday they were flag bearers: no choice.

We must accept that not all countries have the potential or means to excel in the Games. In fact, 68 countries have yet to win a medal. But they all, or almost all, in Paris, respect Pierre de Coubertin’s mantra, ‘the important thing is to participate’.

There in Paris were four athletes worth an entire nation. Liechtenstein entrusted everything to Romano Puentener, 20 years old, enrolled in cross country mountain biking. Their presence will be testimonial but at least it ensures that the small Alpine country (160 km2, 40,000 inhabitants) will be at the Games, although they will be only one from five representatives at Tokyo 2020. Liechtenstein, however , has at least ten medals at the Winter Games, all in alpine skiing.

Somalia is bigger and more populous (18 million inhabitants), but one of the countries with the highest poverty rate in the world has only reserved one ticket to Paris, that of 800-meter athlete Ali Idow Hassan, who is competing in his second Games. He doesn’t have a bad level (1.46.40), but he will have a hard time getting past the first round. Somalia has never achieved an Olympic podium, but the best athlete in its history, Abdi Bile, became world champion at 1,500 meters in 1987.

From Africa to Oceania: Nauru, an island with 21 km2 and 11,000 inhabitants, sent only one athlete, the athlete Winzar Kakiouga, 23 years old, to run 100 meters without a minimum ‘standard ‘, thanks to the IOC and World Athletics opening a hand to countries without resources or traditions. Kakiouga was a second behind the best: his 10.82 earned him gold at the Micronesian Games.

And from Oceania to Central America: Belize has only one athlete in the Games, and he also runs the 100 meters. Shaun Gill competed in his second Olympic experience at 31 years of age and clocked 10.57. Thanks to him, Belize, a country of 400,000 inhabitants, has maintained its streak, which cannot be counted: they have been in every Summer Games since Mexico 1968, but they have not yet won a medal.