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 ...

participates in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

in the Summer Olympics. They have yet to compete at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

. The

Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee The Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (TASNOC) is the Tuvaluan organization recognized as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 2006, Tuvalu satisfied the IOC's criterion ...

was recognised as a National Olympic Committee in July 2007. Tuvalu entered the Olympics for the first time at the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China, with a weightlifter and two athletes in the men's and women's 100-metre sprints. Tuvaluan athletes have yet to progress past the first round of their events.

National Olympic Committee

The Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (TASNOC) was founded in 2004 under the name 'Tuvalu Association of Sports'. It was renamed to TASNOC and recognized by the IOC as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) on 16 July 2007. Robert Laupula managed the Tuvalu Sports Association and the application for membership of the Olympic movement, which was co-ordinated by the

Oceania National Olympic Committees The Oceania National Olympic Committees (acronym: ONOC) is an international organization that congregates the 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Oceania. It often assembles with other continental NOCs in the form of the Association of Nati ...

. The TASNOC organizes Tuvalu's participation in the Commonwealth Games as well as the Olympics. The committee has had three different Secretary Generals: Isala T. Isala is the current secretary general, and Eselealofa Apinelu is the president.

Olympics overview

2008 Summer Olympics

Tuvalu sent three athletes to the 2008 Summer Olympics: two in athletics and one in weightlifting. Both

Okilani Tinilau Okilani Tinilau (born 2 January 1989) is a Tuvaluan footballer and sprinter who represented Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a footballer, Tinilau plays for F.C. Manu Laeva in the Tuvalu A-Division, also playing on the Tuvalu national foo ...

and

Asenate Manoa Asenate Manoa (born 23 May 1992) is a Tuvaluan track and field athlete who represented Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics, at the 2009 World Championships & 2011 World Championships and at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Manoa represented Tuvalu in t ...

set national records in the 100 metres, with times of 11.48 and 14.05 respectively. They were both eliminated in the first heat.

Logona Esau Logona Esau (born 2 March 1987 on Nukufetau) is a Tuvaluan weightlifter. Biography He was the first athlete from Tuvalu to win a medal at an international competition, when he took bronze in the 62 kg combined event at the 2005 South Paci ...

finished 21st in the men's −69 kg competition.

2012 Summer Olympics

Three Tuvaluan competitors represented the country at the 2012 Olympics. Weightlifter Tuau Lapua Lapua finished the highest of the Tuvaluan competitors with a 11th place finish in the Men's −62 kg event, finishing with a score of 243. Tavevele Noa and

were both eliminated in the first heats of the 100 metres, and Manoa set a national record in the women's 100 metres.

2016 Summer Olympics

One athlete competed for Tuvalu in the 2016 Summer Olympics, the only country to send one delegate.

Etimoni Timuani Etimoni Timuani (born 14 October 1991 in Funafuti)Etimoni Timuani , Profile

competed in the 100 metres, finishing seventh in his heat. He did not advance to the next round.

2020 Summer Olympics

Tuvalu was represented in athletic events by Karalo Maibuca in the men’s 100 metres, and

Matie Stanley Matie Stanley (born 4 May 2003) is a Tuvaluan sprinter. She was selected to compete in the women's 100 metres at the 2020 Summer Games and was given the honour of being the flag bearer for her nation in the opening ceremony alongside Karalo Ma ...

in the women’s 100 metres.

Medal tables

Flagbearers

Porta-bandeira de -Tuvalu na abertura da -rio2016 (28882641955) 2

Flag bearers carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony and closing ceremony of the

. The first flag bearer for Tuvalu was

, a weightlifter, in 2008.

References

External links

* * * {{Nations at the Olympics