Of the 63 participants, twenty-one of them had past Olympic experience, with sailor Vasilij Žbogar (bronze in Athens 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008) headed to his fifth straight Games as the most experienced competitor and a potential medal favorite in the Finn class. The only medalist returning from the previous Games to compete in Rio de Janeiro, Žbogar was selected by the committee to lead the Slovenian delegation as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony. Other notable Slovenian athletes included world judo champion Tina Trstenjak in the women's 63 kg, two-time slalom kayak world champion Peter Kauzer, and three-time world championship medalist in canoeing Benjamin Savšek.