Since 1964, when it competed under the banner of Tanganyika, Tanzania had sent athletes to twelve editions of the Summer Olympic Games. On 7 July 2016, it became the first country to submit its official team for the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The nation chose judoka Andrew Thomas Mlugu as its flagbearer in the opening ceremony. A total of seven Tanzanians, five men and two women, travelled to Rio de Janeiro and competed in three different sports: track and field, judo, and swimming. Alphonce Felix Simbu, who finished fifth in the men's marathon, was the nation's most successful competitor at the Games, and thus the nation failed to win its first Olympic medal since 1980. Nonetheless, he was selected to carry the Tanzanian flag at the closing ceremony.