Bahrain’s Country Profile

Official country name: Kingdom of Bahrain
Area: 257 sq miles (665 sq km, less than the size of New York City)
Population: 718,000, (2007 est.)
Median age: 29
Ethnic Groups: Bahraini Arab, 64%; Persian and others, mostly South Asian, 36%
GDP and GDP per capita: $18 and $25,800
See a more complete country profile of Bahrain

Bahrain’s Olympic History

First time represented at Summer Olympics: 1968
Gold medals won: 1
Silver: 0
Bronze: 0
Medals at 2008 Beijing Olympics: 1 Gold

Bahrain’s Olympic Playbook

Bahrain is among the Arab and Middle Eastern countries that love to buck stereotype these days. In the spring of 2008, Bahrain became the first Arab nation to appoint a Jewish woman ambassador --Huda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo (or Nunu), who was sent to Washington, D.C.

At the Beijing Olympics, watch who'll be bearing Bahrain's serrated red and white flag: Ruqaya Al Ghasra, who holds the Arab and Bahraini record in the women's 100 meters and 200 meters. She also competed in Athens in the 2004 Olympics. She'll be taking part only in the 200 in Beijing. On her rest Bahrain's hopes of clinching a first Olympic medal. But she'll have help: Maryam Yusuf Jamal was a gold winner in the women's 1500 and Rashid Ramzi won silver in the men's 1500 at the 2007 World Championships.

The 15 athletes Bahrain is sending to China represent its largest contingent at an Olympic event.

Bahrain’s Athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Shooting
Salman Zaman

Swimming
Omar Yousif Jassim
Samira Al Bitar

Track and Field/Athletics
Mariam Yousif Jamal
Rashid Ramzi (Won Gold in 1,500m)
Ruqaya Al Ghasra
Tariq Mubarak Taher
Yousif Saad Kamil
Nadia Ejjafini
Bilal Mansoor Ali
Hassan Mahboob
Adam Ismaeel Khamis
Riyadh Mustafa
Abdulhak Zakariya
Stephen Mamara