Two women and six men will represent Algeria in the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer: Ibtissem Doudou, a women wrestler weighing 50kg, will be joined by Chaimaa Aouissi, who weighs 57kg. The male wrestlers include Abdelkarim Fergat (60kg, Greco-Roman), Ishak Ghaiou (67kg, Greco-Roman), Abdelkrim Ouakali (77kg, Greco-Roman), Bachir Sid Azzara (87kg, Greco-Roman), Fadi Rouabah (97kg, Greco-Roman), and Fateh Benferdjallah (86kg, freestyle).
Chaimaa Aouissi and Ibtissem Doudou, two Algerian women wrestlers, are set to create history as they strive to win a medal in Paris and bring pride to Algeria.
Chaimaa Aouissi, expressed her confidence about the the team’s preparedness by saying, “facing challenges, the stakes are high. The Olympic Games pose a unique challenge compared to other competitions. Our training intensity was elevated, ensuring we reached our peak performance… Our goal is to proudly wave the national flag at the Olympic Games, representing the Algerian people with excellence.”
The coach for women’s wrestling team, Omar Kedjaouer, remains optimistic and hopes for medals in Paris. “This is the first time we have qualified for the Olympic Games in wrestling. I want to emphasize that this is a great achievement for the wrestling family. We are hopeful that the women wrestlers will give their all to honor Algeria,” he said.**
On July 4th, male wrestlers journeyed to Hungary for a month-long training session, while female wrestlers chose Spain for their training.
All attention is focused on Bachir Sid Azzara from the men’s team, who came close to winning the silver medal in Tokyo 2020, but was defeated by the Ukrainian wrestler.
Azzara said, “pressure can be a good thing at times, but it’s important to know how to handle it. We’re aiming to be the first generation from Algeria to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, and we’re putting in the work to make it happen.”
His collection of African medals consists of three gold and three bronze awards, totaling six in all.
Algerian wrestlers have never won any Olympic medals despite participating in the Games 13 times.