Vanuatu at the 2008 Summer Olympics
| Vanuatu at the 2008 Summer Olympics |
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| IOC code | VAN | ||||||||
| NOC | Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee | ||||||||
| Website | www |
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| in Beijing | |||||||||
| Competitors | 3 in 2 sports | ||||||||
| Flag bearer | Priscilla Tommy | ||||||||
| Medals |
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| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
Vanuatu competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. A total of three Vanuatuan athletes competed in two sports. Moses Kamut and Elis Lapenmal competed in, respectively, the men's and women's 100m sprints, and Priscilla Tommy competed in women's singles table tennis after being selected by the IOC's Tripartite Commission. Tommy's appearance in particular was Vanuatu's debut into table tennis. Tommy was also the country's flagbearer during the opening ceremony. The Vanuatuan delegation to Beijing included the country's head of state and prime minister, but only included Elis Lapenmal; the other two athletes did not accompany the delegation and arrived in China at different times.
None of the three Vanuatuan Olympians progressed past the first round in their events, and thus did not earn any medals.
Vanuatu has participated in the Olympics since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea; its Olympic committee (VASANOC) was founded a year earlier. Vanuatu's appearance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, thus, marked its sixth appearance in the summer Olympics. Although Vanuatu's earlier Olympic appearances were primarily characterized by people participating in athletics (with the exception of the 2000 Summer Olympics, which included an archer), the 2008 Vanuatu team involved the country's debut in Olympic table tennis. Other Vanuatuans attempted Olympic qualification competitions in girl's beach volleyball, men's football, and taekwondo, but did not succeed.
Vanuatu's delegation left for Beijing on August 4; the delegation encompassed one of the three Olympians, as well as coaches Denison Tari, Sun Hongyi, and Anolyn Lulu; VASANOC president Joe Carlo; and VASANOC secretary general Seru Korikalo. Vanuatuan dignitaries, including the head of state, prime minister, and the minister of sports, also accompanied the team to attend the opening ceremony on August 8. Table tennis player Priscila Tommy and athlete Moses Kamut, the other two Vanuatuan qualifiers, did not accompany the Vanuatuan delegation to Beijing. Tommy arrived in China early for training, while Kamut spent time in Belgium.
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