The

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...

took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Beijing, China from 8 to 24 August 2008. The 2008 Summer Olympics were the Marshall Islands' first appearance at the Olympics. The delegation included five athletes, two in athletics, two in swimming, and one in taekwondo. The Marshall Islands failed to win an Olympic medal at these Games. Athletes representing the Marshall Islands participated in four different events. Anju Jason was the first Marshallese athlete ever to qualify for the Olympic Games. Jason was the only athlete to meet the qualification standards, the other five athletes at the Games were all wildcard entries. He represented his country in

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

. Jared Heine is a swimmer and competed in the 100 meter backstroke. In

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

, the nation was represented by Roman Cress who ran in the men's 100 meters. Haley Nemra also represented the Marshall Islands running in the women's 800 meters.

History

The Marshall Islands are a

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

n island nation, located in the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

midway between

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and Australia. As of 2008 the island had a population of approximately 60,000. The island nation was controlled by the United States, and prior to that by Japan and Germany at different times in its history, until gaining its sovereignty. In 1979, the Government of the Marshall Islands was officially established and the country became self-governing. In 1986 the

Compact of Free Association The Compact of Free Association (COFA) is an international agreement establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (F ...

with the United States entered into force, granting the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) its sovereignty. The island nation is made up of twenty-nine atolls and five single islands. The Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee gained

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

recognition in 2006 during the IOC's meeting on February 9, 2006. The admittance of the Marshall Islands, along with

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

(who participated as Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Summer Olympics) and

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...

the following year, brought the total number of nations competing in the 2008 Olympics to 205. The 2008 Summer Olympics were held from 8 to 24 August 2008.

Athletics (track and field)

The Marshall Islands were represented by a male athlete and a female athlete in athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Roman William Cress and Haley Nemra. This was the first appearance for either athlete at the Olympics. Neither Nemara or Cress met the qualification criteria for their events, however they were accepted as wildcard entries into the Olympics. Roman Cress competed in the men's 100 meters, where he finished eighth out of the nine athletes in his heat, failing to advance to the next round. The medals in the event went to athletes from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Haley Nemra competed in the women's 800 meters, where she finished seventh out of the eight athletes in her heat, failing to advance to the next round. The medals in the event went to athletes from

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only

Men

Women

Swimming

The Marshall Islands were represented by two swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics, one male Jared Heine and one female Julianne Kirchner. This was the first Olympic appearance for both athletes. Neither Heine or Kirchner met the qualification criteria for their respective events, however they were accepted as wildcard entries. Jared Heine competed in the men's 100 meter backstroke and finished third in his heat, placing forty-third in the standings. The medals in the event went to swimmers from

the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, and Australia. Julianne Kirchner competed in the women's 50 meter freestyle and finished fourth in her heat, placing seventy-fifth in the standings. The medals in the event went to swimmers from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the United States, and Australia. ;Men ;Women

Taekwondo

The Marshall Islands were represented by one male athlete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in

, Anju Jason. This was Jason's first appearance at the Olympics. Jason was also the first Marshallese athlete to ever qualify for the Olympic Games, and was the only athlete from the Marshall Islands in the 2008 Summer Olympics that was not a wildcard entry. Jason defeated a competitor from Samoa at the qualification tournament in New Caledonia to qualify for the Olympics. Anju Jason competed in the men's welterweight division, where he was one of six athletes eliminated in tier eleven. The medals in the event went to athletes from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and China.

References

{{Country at games navbox, Marshall Islands, Summer Olympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics 2008

Oly Oly may refer to: * Oly, informal name for Olympia, Washington, United States * OLY (: ), postnominals granted to participants in the Olympics People with the name * Oly (born 1992), American singer-songwriter and musician * Oly Hicks (born 1968 ...