Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics
| Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics |
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| IOC code | TUV | ||||||||
| NOC | Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee | ||||||||
| Website | www |
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| in Beijing | |||||||||
| Competitors | 3 in 2 sports | ||||||||
| Flag bearer | Logona Esau | ||||||||
| Medals |
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| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
Tuvalu competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, from 8 to 24 August 2008. This was the nation's first ever appearance in an Olympic Game. The delegation included two track and field athletes, and one weightlifter. Okilani Tinilau and Asenate Manoa participated in athletics while Logona Esau participated in the weightlifting sport. Both track and field athletes achieved national records. Logona Esau led the Tuvaluan squad as the nation's flag bearer in the parade of nations.
The nation of Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. A former colony of Great Britain, the island nation became fully independent within The Commonwealth in 1978. The nation has an approximate population of 12,000. Tuvalu's international participation in sports has been limited, however weightlifter Logona Esau won the nation's first international competition medal during the Pacific Mini Games in 2005, when he won the bronze. He was later awarded a silver medal at the 2007 Pacific Games.
Tuvalu created its National Olympic Committee in 2004, and gained International Olympic Committee recognition in 2007 during the IOC's meetings in Guatemala City. The nine small islands that constitute Tuvalu own its own sports infrastructure. However, the nation has eleven active federations of national sports. Included in federation are the following Olympic sports: badminton, basketball, volleyball, weightlifting, tennis and table tennis. The admittance of Tuvalu, along with Montenegro (who participated as Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Summer Olympics) and Marshall Islands brought the total number of nations competing in the 2008 Olympics to 205.
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