Kiribati at the Olympics

The island nation of Kiribati first participated in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.Its delegation consisted of weightlifter Meamea Thomas and sprinters Kakianako Nariki and Kaitinano Mwemweata.

After participating in the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 1998, Kiribati started working towards membership of the International Olympic Committee. During a meeting of the IOC in Prague in 2003, Kiribati was accepted into the organization and was set to participate in the 2004 games. The country's name was notably mispronounced by officials in all three languages -French, English and Greek- during the opening ceremony. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2004-08-19-lopresti-runner_x.htm "Small step at Olympics is giant leap for tiny island nation"] , Mike Lopresti, USA Today, August 19, 2008. The correct pronunciation is Kee-ree-buss.]

List of athletes

;Athletics:Kaitinano Mwemweata – 2004 (First Olympian):Kakianako Nariki – 2004;Weightlifting:Meamea Thomas – 2004

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/3913265.stm "Kiribati's Olympic adventure"] , Andrew Fraser, BBC, August 3, 2004

References