Kiribati (pronounced “Kiribass”) is an archipelago nation in the South Pacific Ocean, which was formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, and was part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. They were a British colony from 1892 but achieved independence in 1979 as two states: Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) and Tuvalu (Ellice Islands). Kiribati formed a National Olympic Committee (NOC) in 2002 and held its inaugural meeting in November 2002. The NOC was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 115th Session in Prague, on 3 July 2003.
At Athina 2004, its inaugural participation, Kiribati was represented by three athletes – one female and one male in track & field athletics (both in the 100 metre sprint), and one male weightlifter. They were followed by six other athletes in track & field, two more weightlifters and one judoka. The best I-Kiribati result to date was a ninth place in the men’s 94 kg weightlifting competition of 2012, by David Katoatau. Kiribati has never appeared at the Winter Olympic Games.
