Mauritania at the 2000 Summer Olympics Mauritania at the 2000 Summer Olympics Mauritania sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was the African nation's fifth time competing at the Summer Olympic Games. The Mauritanian delegation consisted of two track and field athletes, Sidi Mohamed Ould Bidjel and Fatou Dieng. Neither advanced beyond the first round of their respective events. The Comité National Olympique et Sportif Mauritanien (The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Mauritania) was recognised by the International Olympic Committee on 1 January 1979. Mauritania made their Olympic debut at the 1984
Summer Olympic coins Summer Olympic coins Although the first Olympic coin can be traced back to 480 BC, the modern Olympics did not see its first commemoratives until 1951. The original concept of Olympic coins was that the Greeks believed that coins brought the general public closer to the Olympic games. The premise was that those who could not attend the games could at least have a tangible souvenir of the event. In 1951, the government of Finland authorized the striking of the first modern Olympic coin, a 500 Markkaa. At first, the coins circulated as currency in the issuing country and the