South Sudan to be given International Olympic Committee recognition in time for Rio 2016

South Sudan will become the 206th member of the International Olympic Committee when it is officially recognised here next Sunday (August 2), it was confirmed here today.

The application from the world's youngest country was approved by the IOC's ruling Executive Board here today and it will now be rubber-stamped by the full membership at its Session, due to begin here on Friday (July 31).

insidethegames had revealed earlier this month that South Sudan's membership would be discussed at the IOC Executive Board here.

The decision to approve South Sudan's membership was taken following a presentation to the Executive Board by the IOC's director of National Olympic Committee relations Pere Miró.

South Sudan, a landlocked country in northeastern Africa, gained its independence from Sudan in 2011.

Image title — South Sudan was granted its independence from Sudan in 2011 but is now in the midst of a bitter civil war ©Wikipedia

Today's decision follows the founding meeting of the South Sudan Olympic Committee last month at which Lieutenant General Wilson Deng Kuoirot was appointed the President and all the relevant documents were finalised.

It means that athletes from South Sudan will be able to compete at Rio 2016 under their country's flag.

At London 2012 South Sudanese marathon runner Guor Marial, Dinka tribesman, competed as an independent athlete under the Olympic flag.

He finished 47th at London 2012 and would seem the athlete most likely to qualify for next year's Olympics.

The runner, who is also known as Guor Mading Maker, is currently trying to raise money to help his training for Rio 2016 and has so fair raised $4,787 towards his target of $25,000.

The decision to recognise South Sudan means they will be the second country set to make their Olympic debut at Rio 2016 after Kosovo was confirmed as the 205th member last December.

Kosovo's recognition was a process fraught with political implications but the major stumbling block for South Sudan has been its failure to have five internationally-approved National Federations, a criteria for membership under the Olympic Charter.

Following much liaison work conducted by the IOC, along with the officials from the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and Sudan, the nation from which South Sudan declared independence in 2011, eight such Federations have now been formed, including athletics.

South Sudan's participation at Rio 2016 is set to be against the backdrop of a bitter civil war there, however.

Conflict has raged there since December 2013, killing thousands and displaced more than 2.2 million people.

Both sides have been accused of human rights abuses and indiscriminate killings, often carried out along ethnic lines, with Machar's Nuers pitted against Kiir's powerful Dinkas.

The topic was the most important discussed today by United States President Barack Obama during a visit to neighbouring Ethiopia.

"The Olympics is all about building bridges between different communities," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

"This is a great message to send to that troubled region."