Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

sent a team to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. The team consisted of three men and one woman. Initially, Mehboba Ahdyar

Mehboba Ahdyar

Mehboba Ahdyar, born in 1988 or 1989, is an Afghan athlete. She was scheduled to be the only woman representing Afghanistan at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she planned to compete in athletics in the women's 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres events....

 prepared to run the 800 metres

800 metres

The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...

 and 1500 metres

1500 metres

The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

, but left her training camp on June 4 to seek political asylum in Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

.
The country was represented by two competitors in athletics, and two in taekwondo

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

. Afghanistan won its first ever Olympic medal at these games, with Rohullah Nikpai

Rohullah Nikpai

Rohullah Nikpai is an Afghani taekwondo practitioner.-Career:Of Hazara origin, Nikpai started his training in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the age of 10. During the bloody conflict over the capital city, his family left the city and settled in one of Iran's many Afghan refugee camps. He soon became a...

 taking bronze in men's -58kg taekwondo

Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 58 kg

-Repechage:...

.

Medalists

Medal	Name	Sport	Event
	Rohullah Nikpai Rohullah Nikpai Rohullah Nikpai is an Afghani taekwondo practitioner.-Career:Of Hazara origin, Nikpai started his training in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the age of 10. During the bloody conflict over the capital city, his family left the city and settled in one of Iran's many Afghan refugee camps. He soon became a...	Taekwondo Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics Taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 20 to August 23 at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium. 128 Taekwondo practitioners, 64 men and 64 women, competed in 8 events...	Men's 58 kg Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 58 kg -Repechage:...

Athletics

Competitors in athletics events could qualify for the next round of competition in two ways. Qualifying by right involved ranking high enough in their heat, and qualifying by result meant ranking high enough in overall standings. Ranks shown are therefore those within each heat, not in overall standings.

Athletes	Events	Heat Round 1		Heat Round 2		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Massoud Azizi	Men's 100 m Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.-Qualification:Each National Olympic Committee was able to enter up to three entrants providing they had met the A standard in the qualifying period...	11.45	8	Did not advance
Robina Muqimyar Robina Muqimyar Robina Jalali, also known as Robina Muqimyar is a former Olympic athlete who represented Afghanistan at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and in 30 international events competing in the 100 meter sprint....	Women's 100 m Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres -Results:All times shown are in seconds. The following abbreviations are used:* Q denotes qualification by place* q denotes qualification by time* PB denotes personal best* SB denotes season best* NR denotes national record...	14.80	8	Did not advance

Taekwondo

Men

Athletes	Events	Round of 16	Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Final	Repechage Round 1	Bronze Medal Contest
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result
Nesar Ahmad Bahave Nesar Ahmad Bahave Nesar Ahmad Bahave is from Afghanistan Taekwondo practitioner. He won the silver medal in the lightweight category at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships, edging out 2004 Olympic Champion Hadi Saei in the semifinals...	−68 kg Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 68 kg The men's 68 kg competition in taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing took place in the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium on August 21. A total of 16 men competed in the event, limited to fighters whose body weight is less than 68 kilograms...	L 0–3	Did not advance			L 3–4	Did not advance
Rohullah Nikpai Rohullah Nikpai Rohullah Nikpai is an Afghani taekwondo practitioner.-Career:Of Hazara origin, Nikpai started his training in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the age of 10. During the bloody conflict over the capital city, his family left the city and settled in one of Iran's many Afghan refugee camps. He soon became a...	−58 kg Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 58 kg -Repechage:...	W 4–3	L 1–2	Did not advance		W 2–1	W 4–1