Kiribati at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Kiribati competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21, 2016. This was the nation's fourth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Kiribati at the
2016 Summer Olympics
IOC codeKIR
NOCKiribati National Olympic Committee
Websitewww.oceaniasport.com/kiribati
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors3 in 2 sports
Flag bearerDavid Katoatau
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

The Kiribati team consisted of three athletes: track sprinters John Ruuka and Karitaake Tewaaki, and weightlifter David Katoatau, who reprised his role of leading the delegation for the third straight time as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony. Kiribati has yet to win its first Olympic medal.

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.[1]:311 Kiribati's first Games was in 2004.[2] The 2016 Olympics were Kiribati's fourth Games. In past Games, I-Kiribati have participated in weightlifting and athletics.[3]

As of these Olympics, Kiribati has not won an Olympic medal.[3] David Katoatau reprised his role as Kiribati's opening ceremonies flag bearer for the third consecutive Olympics.[4] He received media attention due to the effort he put into the task.[5] Kiribati did not have a closing ceremony flag bearer, and a volunteer performed the task.[6]

Athletics
Main articles: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Kiribati received universality slots from IAAF to send two athletes (one male and one female) to the Olympics. Since they qualified via universality slots, both athletes competed in the preliminary heats.[7][8] Both athletes said they did not get enough practice time using blocks. They also did not get to practice much, since the main stadium in the capital city—Bairiki Stadium—is made of sand and often flooded.[8]

Eighteen year old Karitaake Tewaaki competed in the 100 meter dash.[9] This was her first Olympic Games.[10] She finished eighth out of eight competitors in her heat, with a time of 14.70. She was eliminated from competition and did not advance to the next round.[11]

John Ruuka turned 21 during the Olympics, which were his first.[9][12] He ran the 100 meter dash in 11.65 seconds, 0.26 seconds away from the personal best he set the month prior.[13] He finished sixth of seven in his heat, beating Hermenegildo Leite of Angola.[14]

Key

  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
John Ruuka Men's 100 m 11.65 6 Did not advance
Karitaake Tewaaki Women's 100 m 14.70 8 Did not advance

Weightlifting
Main articles: Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Kiribati qualified one male weightlifter for the Rio Olympics by virtue of a top five national finish at the 2016 Oceania Championships.[15][16] The 2016 Games were Katoatau's third consecutive Olympics.[17] He lived and trained for the Olympics at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute in Nouméa, New Caledonia.[18]

Katoatau, winner at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, lifted 145 kg in the snatch and 204 kg in the clean and jerk, for a total of 349 kg. He placed 14th overall out of the 14 lifters that completed the event (three others did not finish).[19]

Katoatau made headlines when he danced after his lifts. He said he used dancing to draw attention to climate change. Kiribati is an island nation, at-risk to rising sea levels.[20] A couple of years before the Olympics he had wrote an open letter, with the help of his coach, to ask for help. In the letter, Katoatau said, "I beg the countries of the world to see what is happening to Kiribati. The simple truth is that we do not have the resources to save ourselves. We will be the first to go."[21]

Athlete Event Snatch Clean & Jerk Total Rank
Result Rank Result Rank
David Katoatau Men's −105 kg 145 17 204 12 349 14

References
  1. Grasso, John; Mallon, Bill; Heijmans, Jeroen (May 14, 2015). Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement. Rowman & Littlefield.
  2. Bingham, Eugene (July 31, 2004). "First-time Olympians beat odds". NZ Herald. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  3. "Kiribati". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  4. "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  5. Demianyk, Graeme (August 8, 2016). "Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony Was Won By The Flag Carrier Of Kiribati, David Katoatau". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  6. "Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony - Flag Bearers" (PDF). Olympic.org. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  7. "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  8. "The Rio adventure 2016". Kiribati Athletics Association. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  9. "Kiribati Brings the Carnival to Rio at Olympic Opening Ceremony". Oceania Sport Information Centre. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  10. "Karitaake Tewaaki at the Olympics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  11. "Athletics at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games: Women's 100 metres Preliminary Round". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  12. "John Ruuka at the Olympics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  13. McAlpine, Alice Toomer. "John Ruka runs the 100m at Rio Olympics whilst celebrating his second birthday of the year". Kiribati Tungaru Association. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  14. "Athletics at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games: Men's 100 metres Preliminary Round". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  15. "Oceania event concluded in Fiji". International Weightlifting Federation. May 28, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  16. Dreaver, Barbara (May 28, 2016). "Kiribati weightlifter dances with joy after reaching Olympic qualification mark". Television New Zealand. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  17. "David Katoatau". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  18. "Rio 2016: Kiribati weightlifter dances to highlight climate change". The Guardian. Reuters. August 15, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  19. "Weightlifting at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games: Men's Heavyweight". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  20. Samuelson, Kate (August 16, 2016). "This Olympic Weightlifter Danced Off Stage to Raise Awareness of Climate Change". Time. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  21. Friedman, Uri (August 17, 2016). "The Saddest Olympic Celebration". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  • [KIR/summer/2016/ Kiribati at the 2016 Summer Olympics] at SR/Olympics
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