Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati ''The Wor ...
competed in the
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
for the first time at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens, Greece
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, from August 13–29, 2004. The country sent three representatives to the Games: two in athletics and one in weightlifting. As of 2012,
Meamea Thomas
Meamea Thomas (born 11 September 1987 in Tarawa, died c. 23 June 2013)East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
. Kiribati had interest in Olympic participation in the 1980s, and the country later formed their National Olympic Committee (NOC) in 2002, which was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2003.
Weightlifter
Meamea Thomas
Meamea Thomas (born 11 September 1987 in Tarawa, died c. 23 June 2013)Kaitinano Mwemweata wore a skirt of coconut leaves with a woven grass top. For the closing ceremonies, Mwemweata was the flagbearer.
Athletics
Both athletes did not know they were going to compete until a couple of weeks prior to the Olympics. A competitor broke their foot, and another's fear of flying prevented their trip to the Games, opening up two spots for I-Kiribati athletes. The I-Kiribati athletes had to travel to Australia early so they could learn how to use starting blocks.Kakianako Nariki's competed in his first and only Olympics. Nariki was afraid of being disqualified because there were false starts in his heat. He ended up finishing seventh in his heat, with a time of 11.62, beating disqualified athlete
Marc Burns
__NOTOC__
Marc Burns (born 7 January 1983) is an athlete from Trinidad and Tobago specializing in the 100 metres and the 4 x 100 metres relay.
Participating in the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was disqualified from his 100 metres heat due to a fals ...
.Kaitinano Mwemweata competed in the women's 100 meter dash. She finished the race with a time of 13.07 seconds, a personal best she was very excited about. She finished seventh in her heat, failing to advance to the next round.
Key
Men
Women
Weightlifting
Although
Meamea Thomas
Meamea Thomas (born 11 September 1987 in Tarawa, died c. 23 June 2013)men's −85 kg weightlifting competition, finishing 17th in the snatch and 13th in the clean and jerk. Overall, he finished 13th out of 21 competitors. As of the 2012 Olympics, Meamea Thomas has the highest finish of any I-Kiribati athlete in Olympic history.
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...