Arab Athletes to Watch at the Paris Olympic Games 2024

Athletes from the Arab world are preparing for their competitions at the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. Starting July 26th, several Arab sportswomen and men will represent their countries on the global stage. 

As the world turns its attention to the Trocadero Gardens for a grand opening ceremony, sports enthusiasts in the Arab world are going to be watching the 2024 Summer Games of the Olympiad, hoping to see their favourite players clinching medals and getting recognition.

Arab athletes clinched the highest number of medals in their participation at the Tokyo Games in 2020, capturing five golds, five silvers, and eight bronze medals — and there’s a realistic chance that they will improve on that total in Paris.

Will the Arab nations break their previous Olympic records at the Paris 2024 Olympics? With a strong line-up of talented athletes across the sports, there is a great chance they might.

Here are some key athletes to watch:

Safiya Al Sayegh, UAE – Cycling

Safiya Al Sayegh, the first female Emirati cyclist to qualify for the Olympics, will compete in Paris 2024. Al Sayegh, who won the UAE National Cycling Championships in 2022 and 2023, is preparing to compete in the 158-kilometer Olympic road race.

Bashirat Kharoudi, UAE – Judo

Bashirat Kharoudi will be the UAE’s only female judo competitor in Paris this year.

Maha Al Shehhi, UAE – Swimming

Maha Al Shehhi will represent the UAE in swimming, competing in the women’s 200-meter freestyle.

Maryam Mohammed Al Farsi, UAE – 100-Meter Running Race

Maryam Mohammed Al Farsi will represent the UAE in the 100-metre running race.

Ramzi Boukhiam, Morocco – Surfing

Ramzi Boukhiam will compete in surfing at Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Boukhiam, who carried the Moroccan flag at Tokyo 2020, is the first Arab to qualify for the Championship Tour. Despite a shoulder injury before the World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico he won a silver medal and secured his spot in Paris.

Abdullah Mohd Al Marri, Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, and Mohammed Ghanem Al Hajri, UAE – Equestrian Team

The UAE equestrian team has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics after missing the Tokyo 2020 Games. Abdullah Mohd Al Marri’s journey began four years ago in Morocco, where they did not qualify for Tokyo. Al Marri, along with teammates Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, and Mohammed Ghanem Al Hajri, will compete in Paris.

Yomna Ayad, Egypt – Boxing

Yomna Ayad will represent Egypt as the country’s first female boxing Olympian at the Paris Games. Competing in the 54-kilogram featherweight category, Ayad secured her spot with a strong performance at the African Boxing Championship in Senegal last September.

Ray Bassil, Lebanon – Trap Shooting

Ray Bassil from Lebanon will compete in her fourth Olympics in Paris. She won gold at the ISSF World Cup Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May.

Mutaz Barshim – High Jump, Qatar

Mutaz Barshim had a notable moment at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 when he and Italian Gianmarco Tamberi chose to share the high jump gold, marking the first shared athletics gold in 113 years. Barshim, who had won multiple Asian Games and World Athletics Championships golds, finally achieved Olympic gold.

Ahmed El-Gendy – Modern Pentathlon, Egypt

Ahmed El-Gendy won a silver medal in the modern pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, becoming the first Egyptian, Arab, and African to medal in this event. Despite struggling with injuries this year, El-Gendy is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and is ready to compete in Paris.

Soufiane El Bakkali – Steeplechase, Morocco

Soufiane El Bakkali ended a long-standing Kenyan dominance by winning the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase in Tokyo, earning Morocco’s first Olympic gold in 17 years.

Ahmad Abu al-Soud – Gymnastics, Jordan

Ahmad Abu al-Soud ranked world No. 1 on the pommel horse. He is the first Arab gymnast to win a World Championship medal, with silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023.

Dunya Abutaleb – Taekwondo, Saudi Arabia

Dunya Abutaleb reached No. 3 in the world rankings at the -53-kilogram weight level and will compete in the -49-kilogram category in Paris. She has won gold at Asia’s Olympic qualification tournament and the Asian Championships in Da Nang.

Djamel Sedjati – 800 Meter, Algeria

Djamel Sedjati will represent Algeria in the 800-meter race at the Paris Olympics. He has a strong track record, including a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships. Sedjati recently set a new national record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:41.46 at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco, ranking him among the fastest in the event.

Sara Ahmed – Weightlifting, Egypt

Weightlifter Sara Ahmed will compete in the 81-kilogram weightlifting category in Paris. She won the World Championship in the 76kg category last September and previously earned a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Sara Ahmed, will be the face of the Egyptian delegation, and in France, she’ll be looking to add to the country’s very respectable total of 38 medals.

Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi – Taekwondo, Tunisia

Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi won a silver medal in the men's -58-kilogram flyweight event at the Tokyo Olympics. Heading into the 2024 Games, Jendoubi is ranked World No. 1 and is a strong contender in his category.

Ziad El Sissy – Fencing, Egypt

Ziad El Sissy recently reached the top of the world rankings in fencing. He won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships and has shown steady improvement.

A recent YouGov survey showed that many UAE residents plan to use online streaming channels and social media to follow the 2024 Paris Olympics.

According to the data, 49% of UAE residents will watch the games through online streaming, while 48% will rely on social media updates.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is an upcoming international multi-sport event set for July 26th to August 11th, 2024 in France.