The Mauritanian delegation featured only two athletes , resulting the country to have one of the smallest delegations at the Games . Among them were sprinters Jidou El Moctar and Houleye Ba , that were selected via universality slots from the IAAF , as the country had no athletes that met the time standards for any events . Moctar reprised his London 2012 role as flag bearer for the opening ceremony , whilst a volunteer carried it for the closing ceremony . Ultimately , neither Moctar nor Ba progressed beyond the heats of their events , leaving the Games without a single medal for the Mauritanians at these Games
opening ceremony
2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Mauritania at the 2016 Summer Olympics