Top Islamic Websites

Why have there been so few participants from Islamic countries in the Olympics?

Is there a religious reason? Or is this so because of economic reasons and political turmoil, etc?

Public Comments

1. lol there is no religious reason, just political turmoil is my best bet. yea but no, religion doesn't have a reason to do with it.
2. The reasons are as varied as the countries themselves, whether they are primarily Islamic or not. Limiting factors logically include economic, cultural, and yes even religious elements. Participation is not inexpensive, and many societies simply do not have the resources to expend. Many cultures have no historical experience in many events or sports, nor is interest encouraged. Political and social unrest certainly contribute to limit interest. Sports and athletics (as known in Olympic events) hold little interest for some societies. However, participation by females (and even males) is certainly limited by their culture, society, and religion. More traditional or fundamentalist Islamic societies in particular would tend to restrict the participation of females, or have their capability to participate strongly discouraged. If a woman is not allowed to be seen in public in any clothing other than that in which she is completely or mostly covered, she is going to find any interest in athletics to be difficult to pursue.
3. Maybe these countries boycotted the games due to their own reasons.