The Tokyo-2021 Olympic Games (July 23 – August 08) may go down as one of Algeria’s worst participation in an Olympic tournament. The games kicked off on July 23 and the Algerian delegation has yet to glean a medal.
She even sees her chances of medals dwindling every day with the cascading elimination of the athletes involved. One of the few athletes, if not the only one, on which the hopes of the Algerians were based has withdrawn. This is the 2012 Olympic champion and vice-champion in 2016, Taoufik Makhloufi.
The adventure started very badly for the Algerian delegation, made up of 44 athletes. On the day of the departure of the first contingent of athletes for the Japanese capital, July 16, the coach of the national Judo team, Amar Benikhlef, distinguished himself with shattering statements on the conditions of preparation and care athletes, once again lambasting the federation and the authorities.
Arrived in Japan, Benikhlef and one of his foals still stood out, but not on the tatami. Judoka Fethi Nourine decided to withdraw in the first round to avoid facing an Israeli opponent in case of qualification.
The gesture was variously appreciated within the Algerian delegation and public opinion. Suspended by the International Judo Federation, the judoka returned to the country where the controversy they aroused does not fade away.
Algeria participates in the Tokyo games with two judokas, Fethi Nourine and Sonia Asselah. She is still in the running and will face a Ukrainian opponent in the round of 16 this Friday.
In boxing, it is the hecatomb. Of the eight boxing fighters, only two are still in the running: Mohamed Flissi (52 Kg) and Imane Khelif (60 Kg). The other six are eliminated.
They are Mohamed Houmri (81 kg), Chouaïb Bouloudinats (91 kg), Younes Nemouchi (75 kg), Abdelhafid Benchebla (91 kg), Romaïssa Boualem (51 kg) and Ichrak Chaïb (75 kg).
The discipline was however a real hope for medals for Algeria. In the past, Algerian pugilists have brought satisfaction to the country, notably with the late Hocine Soltani, gold medalist in Atlanta in 1996. The first Algerian Olympic medal (bronze) was won by boxer Mustapha Moussa in Los Angeles in 1984.
Cascading disillusions
Algeria has also entered four fencers and all are already out. In cycling, Hamza Mansouri and Azzedine Lagab abandoned the race. In this discipline too, Algeria found itself at the center of a controversy after the racist remarks made by the coach of the Germany team against Azzedine Lagab.
“To you the camel drivers,” exclaimed Patrick Moster, sports director of the German cycling team, addressing one of his foals during the race. These words were picked up by the microphones and the technician was relieved of his duties. The case caused a stir in Tokyo.
On the ground, the disillusions continued for the Algerians with the elimination of Amina Kheris in Kayak, Larbi Bouriah in table tennis, Houda Chaabi in sports shooting, and especially swimmers Oussama Sahnoun, Souad Cherouati, and Amel Mellih.
The latter, flag bearer of the Algerian delegation with boxer Mohamed Flissi, was eliminated in the 100m freestyle but remains nevertheless in contention for the 50m.
The athletics events will begin this Friday and it is up to the eight Algerian athletes involved to save face. But with Makhloufi’s package, medal hopes are frankly slim. Algeria risks leaving these Olympic games with zero medals, which has not happened since the Athens games in 2004.
In 12 participations in the Summer Olympics, Algeria gleaned a total of 17 medals, including five gold.
The best Algerian participation remains those of 1996 in Atlanta where she gleaned two gold medals (Soltani in Boxing and Morceli in athletics) and a bronze medal (Bahari in boxing) and 2000 in Sydney with five medals, works of Nouria Merah in athletics (gold), Ali Saidi Sief (athletics, silver), Djabir Said Guerni and Abderrahmane Hamad, the current president of the Algerian Olympic Committee (athletics, bronze) and Mohamed Allalou (boxing, bronze).
