Kiribati at the Olympics
The Island country of Kiribati is one of the Olympic Games' "new kids on the block". Kiribati was British protectorate until independence in 1979, formerly called the Gilbert Islands.
They have been working on being part of the international Olympic community since they first participated in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and in January 2003, during the IOC meeting in Prague, Czechia, the Kiribati National Olympic Committee was welcomed and recognized.
This gave way to their first-ever participation in the Summer Gamers in 2004 where they sent three athletes to Athens, Greece. Sprinters Kaitinano Mwemweata and Kakianako Nariki as well as weightlifter Meamea Thomas who ranked 13th overall that year in the men's below 85kg weight class.
Kiribati has been in all of the Summer Games since their debut in 2004 but is yet to win their first-ever Olympic medal. They have only ever sent athletes in the sport of weightlifting and athletics/
They have also not participated in any of the Winter Olympic Games.
Trivia
- The country's name was notably mispronounced by officials in all three languages during the opening ceremony - in French, English and Greek. The correct pronunciation is Kee-ree-buss.
Related Pages
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- About the Pacific Games
- About sport in Kiribati
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