Three Mauritian athletes returned from the previous Games, including judoka Christianne Legentil (women's 52 kg), freestyle swimmer Heather Arseth, and triathlete Fabienne St. Louis, who was able to compete despite being diagnosed with salivary gland cancer eight months earlier.

[3] Meanwhile, Africa's top-ranked badminton player and 2010 Youth Olympian Kate Foo Kune was selected by the committee to carry the Mauritian flag at the opening ceremony.

Unable to reach the final, Legentil managed to reproduce her seventh-place feat from London 2012 as the most successful finish for the Mauritians at these Games, losing the match to Russia's Natalia Kuziutina in the repechage round.

Kate Foo Kune picked up a continental berth as Africa's top shuttler based on her performance in the BWF World Rankings as of 5 May 2016, signifying the country's return to the sport after a 16-year hiatus.

London 2012 quarterfinalist Christianne Legentil earned a continental quota spot from the African region as Mauritius' top-ranked judoka based on points in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016.