Yemen at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Yemen at the 2000 Summer Olympics
IOC code	YEM
NOC	Yemen Olympic Committee
Website	www.nocyemen.org (in Arabic and English)
in Sydney
Competitors	2 in 1 sport
Flag bearer	Basheer Al-Khewani (opening)
Medals	Gold 0 Silver 0 Bronze 0 Total 0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Other related appearances
North Yemen (1984–1988)  South Yemen (1988)

Yemen sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was their third appearance at a Summer Olympic Games as a unified country. The Yemeni delegation consisted of two track and field athletes, Basheer Al-Khewani and Hana Ali Saleh. Neither advanced beyond the first round of their respective events.

Background

The Yemen Olympic Committee was recognized by the International Olympic Committee on 1 January 1981.^[1] Both North Yemen and South Yemen made appearances at the Olympics in the 1980s.^[2][3] Following Yemeni Unification in 1990,^[4] the nation has sent a single team to every Olympics since the 1992 Summer Olympics.^[5] This made Sydney the third appearance at an Olympics by a unified Yemen, and the nation has yet to debut in the Winter Olympic Games.^[5] The 2000 Summer Olympics were held from 15 September to 1 October 2000; a total of 10,651 athletes represented 199 National Olympic Committees.^[6] Yemen sent two track and field competitors to Sydney, Basheer Al-Khewani and Hana Ali Saleh.^[7] Al-Khewani was selected as the flag-bearer for the opening ceremony.^[5]

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Basheer Al-Khewani was 18 years old at the time of the Sydney Olympics, and was making his only Olympic appearance.^[8][9] On 22 September he took part in the first round of the men's 400 meters, and was drawn into heat eight. He finished his race in a time of 49.72 seconds, eighth and last in his heat, and was therefore eliminated.^[10] The gold medal was won by Michael Johnson of the United States in 43.84 seconds, the silver was taken by fellow American Alvin Harrison, and the bronze medal was earned by Greg Haughton of Jamaica.^[11][12]

Hana Ali Saleh was 32 years old at the time, and also making her only appearance at an Olympic Games.^[13][14] She was the first woman to represent Yemen at the Olympics.^[15] On 27 September she took part in the first round of the women's 200 meters, and was drawn into heat two. She finished the race in 30.36 seconds, eighth and last in her heat. Her time was over six seconds behind seventh place; therefore she was eliminated at this stage.^[16] Original gold medalist Marion Jones of the United States was stripped of her medal in December 2007 after admitting to doping violations.^[17][18] Original silver medalist Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas received the gold medal in June 2010.^[19]

Athlete	Event	Heat		Quarterfinal		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Basheer Al-Khewani	Men's 400 m	49.72	8	did not advance
Hana Ali Saleh	Women's 200 m	30.36	8	did not advance

• Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only

References

1. "Yemen – National Olympic Committee (NOC)". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
2. "South Yemen". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
3. "North Yemen". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
4. "Yemen profile – Timeline – BBC News". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
5. "Yemen". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
6. "Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics – results & video highlights". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
7. "Yemen at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
8. "Basheer Al-Khewani Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
9. "Basheer AL KHEWANI – Olympic Athletics – Yemen". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
10. "Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Men's 400 metres Round One". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
11. "Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Men's 400 metres". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
12. "Sydney 2000 400m men – Olympic Sydney 2000 Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
13. "Hana Ali Saleh Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
14. "Hana Ali SALEH – Olympic Athletics – Yemen". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
15. "Yemeni athletes travel to London for 2012 Olympic Games". National Yemen Newspaper. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
16. "Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Women's 200 metres Round One". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
17. Bridge, Sarah (12 December 2007). "Athlete Jones stripped of Olympic medals". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
18. "Sydney 2000 200m women – Olympic Sydney 2000 Athletics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
19. "Pauline Davis-Thompson receives Olympic gold medal stripped from Marion Jones". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.