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 second time at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing, China, following their debut appearance in 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. The country had intended to send a total of three athletes to the Games, competing in two sports: athletics and weightlifting. Female sprinter

Kaitinano Mwemweata Kaitinano Mwemweata (born July 22, 1984) is an I-Kiribati athlete. She was the first person ever to compete for Kiribati at the Olympic Games, when she represented her country at the 100 metre sprint in Athens in 2004. Mwemweata finished seve ...

had to withdraw due to illness after contracting

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

Background

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. Kiribati's first Games was in 2004. As of these Olympics, Kiribati had never won an Olympic medal. Weightlifter David Katoatau was Kiribati's flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. The flag bearer for the closing ceremony was Kiribati NOC president Birimaka Tekanene.

Athletics (track and field)

fell ill and did not participate in the Olympics, and was treated for tuberculosis instead. Her withdrawal left Kiribati with one representative in athletics. Rabangaki Nawai was entered in the

100 meter The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

and

200 meter The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

sprint events. Nawai ran a personal season's best time of 11.29 seconds in the first round of the 100 meter sprint. He had the fastest reaction time in the heat, but placed last, and failed to progress to the next round. He did not run in the 200 meter competition for undisclosed reasons.

Key

Weightlifting

David Katoatau represented Kiribati in the men's 85 kg class of the

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...

competition, qualifying by wildcard. He finished in 15th place, ahead of

Terrence Dixie Terrence Nigel Dixie (born October 15, 1983) is a Seychellois weightlifter. Dixie represented Seychelles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed for the men's light heavyweight class (85 kg). Dixie placed sixteenth in this ...

of Seychelles and five lifters who did not finish the event.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiribati At The 2008 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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 ...