Ethiopia competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The country's participation in Tokyo marked its fourteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1956, having missed three occasions due to joining the African (1976), Soviet (1984), and North Korean (1988) boycotts. Ethiopia left Tokyo with a total of four medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze), a decrease from its previous overall tally at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and its lowest medal count since 1996.
| Ethiopia at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | ETH |
| NOC | Ethiopian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Tokyo, Japan July 23, 2021 – August 8, 2021 | |
| Competitors | 38 in 4 sports |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Abdelmalik Muktar |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Selemon Barega |
| Medals Ranked 56th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Medalists
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Selemon Barega | Athletics | Men's 10000 m | July 30 |
 Silver | Lamecha Girma | Athletics | Men's 3000 m steeplechase | July 30 |
 Bronze | Gudaf Tsegay | Athletics | Women's 5000 m | August 2 |
| Bronze | Letesenbet Gidey | Athletics | Women's 10000 m | August 7 |
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 16 | 19 | 35 |
| Cycling | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Swimming | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Taekwondo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 18 | 20 | 38 |
Athletics
Ethiopian athletes further achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[2][3]
- Key
- Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
- Q = Qualified for the next round
- q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
- NR = National record
- N/A = Round not applicable for the event
- Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
- Track & road events
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Melese Nberet | 800 m | 1:47.80 | 7 | Did not advance | |||
| Samuel Abate | 1500 m | 3:41.63 | 5 Q | 3:37.66 | 11 | Did not advance | |
| Teddese Lemi | 3:36.26 | 2 Q | 3:34.81 | 7 | Did not advance | ||
| Samuel Tefera | 3:37.98 | 9 | Did not advance | ||||
| Nibret Melak | 5000 m | 13:45.81 | 14 | — | Did not advance | ||
| Milkesa Mengesha | 13:31.13 | 6 Q | 13:08.50 | 10 | |||
| Getnet Wale | 13:41.13 | 9 | Did not advance | ||||
| Berihu Aregawi | 10000 m | — | 27:46.16 | 4 | |||
| Selemon Barega | 27:43.22 | | |||||
| Yomif Kejelcha | 27:52.03 | 8 | |||||
| Lamecha Girma | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:09.83 | 1 Q | — | 8:10.38 | | |
| Bikila Tadese Takele | 8:24.69 | 9 | Did not advance | ||||
| Getnet Wale | 8:12.55 | 2 Q | 8:14.97 | 4 | |||
| Lelisa Desisa | Marathon | — | DNF | ||||
| Shura Kitata | — | DNF | |||||
| Sisay Lemma | — | DNF | |||||
- Women
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Habitam Alemu | 800 m | 2:01.20 | 2 Q | 1:58.40 | 2 Q | 1:57.56 | 6 |
| Netsanet Desta | 2:01.98 | 4 | Did not advance | ||||
| Freweyni Hailu | 1500 m | 4:04.12 | 5 Q | 3:57.54 | 2 Q | 3:57.60 | 4 |
| Lemlem Hailu | 4:05.49 | 5 Q | 4:03.76 | 9 | Did not advance | ||
| Diribe Welteji | 4:10.25 | 12 | Did not advance | ||||
| Ejgayehu Taye | 5000 m | 14:48.52 | 4 Q | — | 14:41.24 | 5 | |
| Senbere Teferi | 14:48.31 | 3 Q | 14:45.11 | 6 | |||
| Gudaf Tsegay | 14:55.74 | 1 Q | 14:38.87 | | |||
| Tsigie Gebreselama | 10000 m | — | DNF | ||||
| Tsehay Gemechu | DSQ | ||||||
| Letesenbet Gidey | 30:01.72 | | |||||
| Mekides Abebe | 3000 m steeplechase | 9:23.95 | 3 Q | — | 9:06.16 | 4 | |
| Lomi Muleta | 9:45.81 | 10 | Did not advance | ||||
| Zerfe Wondemagegn | 9:20.01 | 4 q | 9:16.41 | 8 | |||
| Roza Dereje | Marathon | — | 2:28:38 | 4 | |||
| Birhane Dibaba | DNF | ||||||
| Zeineba Yimer | DNF | ||||||
| Yehualeye Beletew | 20 km walk | — | DNF | ||||
Cycling
Road
Ethiopia entered one rider to compete in the women's Olympic road race, by securing an outright berth, as the highest-ranked cyclist, not yet qualified, at the 2019 African Championships in Addis Ababa.[4]
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selam Amha | Women's road race | Did not finish | |
Swimming
Ethiopia received a universality invitation from FINA to send a top-ranked male swimmer in his respective individual events to the Olympics, based on the FINA Points System of June 28, 2021.[5]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Abdelmalik Muktar | Men's 50 m freestyle | 26.65 | 62 | Did not advance | |||
Taekwondo
Ethiopia entered one athlete into the taekwondo competition for the first time. Solomon Demse secured a spot in the men's flyweight category (58 kg) with a top two finish at the 2020 African Qualification Tournament in Rabat, Morocco.[6]
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | ||
| Solomon Demse | Men's −58 kg |  Suzuki (JPN)W 22–2 |  Jendoubi (TUN)L 9–32 PTG | Did not advance |  Artamonov (ROC)L 5–27 PTG | Did not advance | 7 |