Nauru at the Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nauru at theOlympics |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||
| IOC code | NRU | ||||||||
| NOC | Nauru Olympic Committee | ||||||||
| Medals |
|
||||||||
| Summer appearances | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
The small island nation of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean first joined the Summer Olympic Games in 1996. These games were held in Atlanta, USA. Nauru is special because it's the country with the fewest people among all 206 nations that are part of the International Olympic Committee.
For a long time, Nauru was mostly known for its strong tradition in weightlifting. Before 2012, every single athlete who represented Nauru at the Olympics was a weightlifter!
Contents
Nauru's Olympic Journey
The idea of Nauru joining the Olympics started in the early 1990s. This movement was led by Vinson Detenamo.
Forming the Olympic Committee
Nauru's own Olympic Committee was created in 1991. Right away, they started talking with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In May 1994, Nauru officially asked to join the IOC. Just a few months later, in September 1994, Nauru was accepted! This big step meant they could send their athletes to the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Marcus Stephen: A Pioneer Athlete
Even though Nauru officially joined the Olympics in 1996, one of its famous athletes had competed before. Marcus Stephen, a talented weightlifter, won a medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. After this, he asked to become a citizen of Samoa so he could compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Marcus Stephen later represented Nauru in the Olympics in 1996 and 2000. In the 2000 games, he finished 11th in his weight category. Years later, in 2009, Marcus Stephen took over from Vinson Detenamo as the president of Nauru's National Olympic Committee.
Nauru's Dedicated Coach
Paul Coffa is a very important person for Nauru's weightlifting team. He is the weightlifting coach for the Oceania Weightlifting Federation. He has also been Nauru's Olympic coach since 1994, helping many athletes prepare for the Games.
Olympic Medals and Participation
Nauru has sent athletes to every Summer Olympics since 1996. So far, they have not won any Olympic medals. However, their athletes always show great spirit and determination!
Summer Games Appearances
The table below shows how many athletes Nauru has sent to each Summer Olympic Games and their medal count.
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1996 Atlanta |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2000 Sydney |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2004 Athens |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2008 Beijing |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2012 London |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2016 Rio de Janeiro |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2020 Tokyo |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2024 Paris |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2028 Los Angeles |
future event | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |
Nauru's Olympians
Here are some of the athletes who have represented Nauru at the Olympic Games:
- Weightlifting
- Marcus Stephen – He competed in 1996 and 2000. He was Nauru's very first Olympian!
- Quincy Detenamo – Competed in 1996.
- Gerard Garabwan – Competed in 1996.
- Sheeva Peo – Competed in 2000. She was Nauru's first female Olympian!
- Reanna Solomon – Competed in 2004.
- Itte Detenamo – Competed in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
- Yukio Peter – Competed in 2004.
- Judo
- Sled Dowabobo – Competed in 2012. He was Nauru's first Olympian in Judo!
- Athletics
- Jonah Harris - Competed in 2020.
- Winzar Kakiouea - Competed in 2024.
See also
- List of flag bearers for Nauru at the Olympics
