The
Colombian Olympic Committee () confirmed a team of 147 athletes, 74 men and 73 women, to compete across 23 sports at the Games. It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics, breaking its previous record of 104 athletes set in London four years earlier.
Football (for both men and women) and
women's rugby sevens were the only team-based sports in which Colombia qualified for the Games, with the men's football squad returning to the Olympic tournament for the first time in 24 years. For individual-based sports, Colombia marked its Olympic debut in golf (new to the 2016 Games) and synchronized swimming. Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the Colombian team by an individual sport, with 34 entries. There was a single competitor each in golf, sailing, shooting, and table tennis. Eight of the nation's Olympic medalists from
London 2012 returned, including defending champion
Mariana Pajón in the women's BMX race, triple jumper
Caterine Ibargüen, weightlifter and four-time Olympian
Óscar Figueroa (men's 69 kg), judoka and triple world titleist
Yuri Alvear (women's 70 kg), BMX rider
Carlos Oquendo, professional road cyclist
Rigoberto Urán, taekwondo fighter
Óscar Muñoz (men's 58 kg), and freestyle wrestler
Jackeline Rentería, who became the first Colombian woman in history to earn two Olympic medals. 50-year-old trap shooter
Danilo Caro headlined the full roster of Colombian athletes by competing at his record fifth Olympics. Along with Figueroa, three Colombian athletes also vied for their fourth consecutive appearance, including race walker
Luis Fernando López, backstroke swimmer
Omar Pinzón, and weightlifter
Ubaldina Valoyes (women's 75 kg). 18-year-old relay track sprinter
Anthony Zambrano was Colombia's youngest competitor, with show jumper
René Lopez rounding out the field as the oldest competitor (aged 52). Artistic gymnast
Jossimar Calvo was initially selected through a nationwide online text-message voting to carry the Colombian flag, but forced to decline the honor due to his competition schedule on the first day of the Games. Instead, Alvear, who entered the Games with a bronze medal from London 2012 and three world titles, took over Calvo's spot at the last minute to lead the Colombian team at the opening ceremony. The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games. Note that reserves in fencing and football are not counted as athletes: ==Archery==