Timor-Leste at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to August 21. This was the country's fourth time taking part in the Summer Olympics.

Three athletes from Timor-Leste competed: one man and two women. They took part in athletics and mountain biking, with mountain biking being a new sport for the country. The athletes included middle-distance runners Nélia Martins and Augusto Ramos Soares, as well as mountain biker Francelina Cabral. Francelina Cabral had the honor of carrying the country's flag during the opening ceremony.

Background

Timor-Leste, also called East Timor, first joined the Olympic Games as its own country in 2004 at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Before that, athletes from Timor-Leste had taken part in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but their Olympic Committee was not officially recognized until 2003. The 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was the fourth time Timor-Leste joined the Olympic Games in a row.

Competitors

Timor-Leste had three athletes competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They participated in two sports: athletics and mountain biking, which was a new sport for the country.

Athletics

Main articles: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Timor-Leste was allowed to send two athletes to the Olympics because of special rules. These athletes were Augusto Ramos Soares in the men's 1,500 m race and Nélia Martins in the women's 1,500 m.

Track & road events

Cycling

Main articles: Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Timor-Leste was invited to send a mountain biker for the women's race at the 2016 Summer Olympics. This was the first time the country took part in mountain biking at the Olympics. One athlete from Timor-Leste, Francelina Cabral, competed in the mountain bike women's cross-country event.