Ethiopia, and Kenya probably have the best chance of winning the most medals at the Olympics. Their athletes are phenomenal, their Olympic programs run deep and they rule the long and middle distance events.
Countries like Togo are only sending 2 athletes, they couldn't afford to send more even if they qualified. Boxing allows many smaller sporting African countries to be represented in the Olympics (like Algeria, Botswana, Cameroon, Swaziland, DRC) and it looks like badminton, taekwondo and judo are also offering African athletes a chance to compete on the world stage. Athletes from Darfur and Somalia will compete despite appalling training conditions and lack of funding.
Individual African Countries at the Olympics
Angola's basketball team is Africa's best and they're hoping to contend for a medal. Angola is also sending 2 swimmers to the Games.Benin is sending 2 swimmers, 2 track and field athletes and a Taekwondo contestant.
Burkina Faso has 6 athletes competing in athletics, fencing, swimming and judo. According to Poussi Kabore their swimming coach the team is "trying to get used to the Chinese food" (source: Chinaview)
Cape Verde has a rhythmic gymnast and a boxer going to the Olympics. Like many small African nations Cape Verde struggles to finance their athletes. Their boxer Vladine Tchuda has his own web site to raise funds for his Beijing trip.
Egypt I was pleased to read has qualified for synchronized swimming (I didn't realize this was still an Olympic event). Egyptians will also be watching their athletes in shooting, badminton, boxing, handball, rowing, gymnastics, fencing and archery events. Egypt has just over 100 contestants competing in these events with no obvious medal contenders, but they will be an interesting team to watch.
Ethiopia has a great chance of winning several gold medals. Haile Gebrselassie is a two-time gold medalist long distance runner who currently holds the world marathon record. Kenenisa Bekele is also a gold medal winner who will compete again in 2008. Ethiopia has 34 more athletes, several of whom are expected to win gold for one of Africa's most popular sporting countries. They could even win the trifecta at the 10,000m race. In fact all of Ethiopia's athletes are competing in the long and middle distance running events except for one lonely fly-weight boxer, Molla Getachew. Molla doesn't even own his own pair of boxing gloves, he borrows them from his ill-equipped gym.
Equatorial Guinea has a judo contestant and two track and field athletes.
Eritrea despite extreme poverty, is able to send 11 track and field athletes to Beijing. Their biggest medal hope is long distance runner Zersenay Tadese
Gabon will be represented by a female judo contestant, a boxer and a couple of track and field athletes.
The Gambia has 2 athletes and a boxer.
Ghana has 5 boxers and 3 athletes (2 sprinters and a long jumper called Ignatius Gaisah who is a medal contender. The boxers are doing well thanks to a Cuban coach, Roberto Ibanez Chavez, who managed to turn boxing around for Ghana.
Kenya is one of Africa's most successful sporting nations in the world and their Olympic squad is made of almost 80 members including 36 athletes. They've also got swimmers, a rower, boxers and a Taekwondo competitor. Kenya is expected to win several medals and athletes to watch out for are: Robert Cheruiyot (long distance/marathon); Pamela Jelimo a young female 800m runner who has won almost every one of her races this summer; Ezekiel Kemboi specializes in the steeplechase; Edwin Cheruiyot Soi in the 5,000m and Wilfred Bungei who runs the men's 800m. There are plenty more athletes with a good chance in Beijing, it's an exciting squad to watch.
Madagascar has a couple of athletes as well as a judo and boxing contestant. There are also 2 swimmers. One female swimmer will give the announcers something to wrap their mouths around, her name is Aina Andriamanjatoarimanana.
Malawi has 2 swimmers and 2 athletes. One of the swimmers, 14 year old Zarra Pinto, currently goes to my old school, St Andrews Secondary School in Blantyre. Malawi is not expecting a medal, but there are hopes for a brighter sporting future.
Mali has a women's basketball team going to the Olympics as well as a few swimmers and a track athlete.
Mauritania managed to get 2 track and field athletes to Beijing.
Mauritius will be represented by 9 athletes in as many events, varying from badminton to archery.
Morocco has an extensive squad going to Beijing of some 50 athletes, many of them in track and field. Morocco's medal hopes lie with their long-distance and marathon runners as well as Amine Laalou who runs the 800m.
Mozambique has 4 swimmers going to Beijing as well as a judoka and two track athletes, one of whom is the legendary 800m runner Maria Mutola who will run in her 6th Olympics, which is quite incredible.
Namibia won't have their Olympic hero Frankie Fredericks this time around, but ten athletes have qualified for shooting, cycling, wresting, boxing and athletics.
Nigeria will send 33 Athletes most of them in the sprints. Two sprinters to watch out for as medal contenders are Olusoji Fasuba and Damola Osayemi. Nigeria is also sending two football teams (men and women), and have competitors in the fields of boxing, table tennis, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, taekwondo, badminton and swimming.
