Nauru at the 2020 Summer Olympics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nauru at the
2020 Summer Olympics
IOC codeNRU
NOCNauru Olympic Committee
Websitewww.oceaniasport.com/nauru
in Tokyo
23 July 2021 (2021-07-23) – 8 August 2021 (2021-08-08)
Competitors2 in 2 sports
Flag bearers (opening)Nancy Genzel Abouke
Jonah Harris
Flag bearer (closing)Nancy Genzel Abouke
Officials4
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

Nauru competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games have been postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's participation in Tokyo marked its seventh appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1996.

The Nauruan delegation consisted of two athletes: sprinter Jonah Harris and weightlifter Nancy Genzel Abouke, the smallest athlete delegation of a country at these Games.[a] Harris qualified through a universality slot by World Athletics while Abouke qualified through a tripartite invitation quota given by the International Weightlifting Federation. Harris and Abouke were the flagbearers for the opening ceremony, while Abouke solely held the flag at the closing ceremony. Both athletes did not medal, and as of these Games, Nauru has yet to earn an Olympic medal.

Background[edit]

Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] This edition of the Games marked the nation's seventh appearance at the Summer Olympics ever since they debuted at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.[3]

Travel[edit]

On 20 July 2021, members of the Nauruan delegation travelled to Tokyo, Japan, the site of the Games, through Nauru Airlines.[4] A coordination with the International Olympic Committee, the Oceania National Olympic Committees of Nauru, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu, and Nauru Airlines, used the airline to charter two flights with four national delegations, namely: Nauru, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu, with a technical stop in Chuuk State of the Federated States of Micronesia, for travel to Tokyo due to precautions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Delegations from the three other nations were brought to Nauru on 19 July 2021, while the following day saw their departure to the Haneda Airport in Tokyo.[5]

Delegation[edit]

The Nauruan delegation composed of seven people. Officials present were Nauru Olympic Committee president and three-time Olympian Marcus Stephen,[6] chef de mission Gay Uera, and delegation secretary generals Reagan Moses and Sean Oppenheimer.[7] One coach was present, which was weightlifting coach and Olympian Quincy Detenamo.[8] The athletes that competed were sprinter Jonah Harris, who competed in the men's 100 m, and weightlifter Nancy Genzel Abouke, who competed in the women's 76 kg category.[4]

Opening and closing ceremonies[edit]

The Nauruan delegation marched 124th out of 206 countries in the 2020 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations within the opening ceremony, due to the host's use of the local kana alphabetical system.[b] Both athletes, Harris and Abouke, held the flag for the delegation in the ceremony.[9] At the closing ceremony, Abouke was the designated flagbearer for the nation.[10]

Competitors[edit]

The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.

Sport Men Women Total
Athletics 1 0 1
Weightlifting 0 1 1
Total 1 1 2

Athletics[edit]

Main articles: Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification
Jonah Harris about to depart for the Tokyo Olympics, boarding a special IOC chartered flight

Nauru received a universality slot from World Athletics to send a male track and field athlete to the Olympics.[11] The nation selected sprinter and national record holder Jonah Harris, who would be the first athletics competitor for Nauru to participate at the Games.[12] He competed in the men's 100 m.[13]

Harris competed in his event on 31 July 2021,[14] running in the third preliminary heat in the fifth lane. He finished with a time of 11.01 seconds, setting a seasons best[c] and finishing fifth, but not advancing to the heats.[16]

After he competed in his event, he was interviewed by the BBC, alongside fellow sprinter Karalo Maibuca, who represented Tuvalu, stating that the live television interview would be "good to get small countries like Nauru on the global map and hopefully get recognized."[13]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Track & road events
Athlete Event Preliminaries Round 1 Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Jonah Harris Men's 100 m 11.01 SB 5 Did not advance

Weightlifting[edit]

The Tokyo International Forum, where Abouke competed in her event
Main articles: Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Nauru's participation in the sport is the ninth consecutive participation ever since its debut in 1996.[17] The nation received one tripartite invitation quota from the International Weightlifting Federation, picking Nancy Genzel Abouke, who would compete in the women's 76 kg category.[18][19] The lead-up to the Games saw her compete at the 2019 Pacific Games held in Apia, Samoa, and the 2019 Junior World Weightlifting Championships held in Suva, Fiji, when she was aged 15 years old.[20] Aged 18 years old, she was the youngest female lifter and lifter in general to compete at these Games.[21]

Another Nauruan weightlifter was also present at the Games, lifter Charisma Amoe-Tarrant who competed for Australia. She represented Nauru in former competitions, most notably getting bronze at the 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the first medal of Nauru at these championships in any edition.[20] She competed in the women's +87 kg category, placing sixth out of fourteen competitors.[22]

Abouke competed in her event on 1 August 2021 at 4:50 p.m., in the B Group.[23] She failed to lift her opening attempt of 88 kilograms, then snatching the same declared weight on her second attempt successfully, then snatching 90 kilograms for her third. She then clean and jerked 108 kilograms for his opening attempt, 113 kilograms for her second, and failing at 117 kilograms on her third and last attempt. She ended up with a 203-kilogram total, placing tenth out of twelve competitors.[24] Abouke commented that she was trying to aim for a 95 kilograms snatch and a 120 kilograms clean and jerk, but fell short citing nervousness stating that she would beat them in future competitions.[20]

Athlete Event Snatch Clean & Jerk Total Rank
Result Rank Result Rank
Nancy Genzel Abouke Women's 76 kg 90 13 113 10 203 10

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Tied with Andorra, Bermuda, Brunei, Central African Republic, Dominica, Lesotho, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tuvalu.[1]
  2. ^ Japanese: ナウル, romanized: Nauru
  3. ^ Information taken from World Athletics profile.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bonesteel, Matt (24 July 2021). "How many athletes participate in the Olympics, and other key numbers from the Games". Washington Post. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee". International Olympic Committee. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Nauru Overview". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Team Nauru departs for Tokyo Olympics". Loop Pacific. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Joint IOC and Nauru effort ensures four Pacific islands NOCs' passage to Tokyo". Oceania National Olympic Committees. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. ^ "First Olympians: The weight of a nation". Radio New Zealand. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Team Nauru - Profile". TOCOG. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Quincy DETENAMO". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony Flag Bearers Marching Order" (PDF). NPR. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  10. ^ "List of flagbearers for the 205 NOCs and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 8 August 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Road to Olympic Games 2020". World Athletics. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Jonah Harris On Track To Create Nauru History". Oceania Athletics Association. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b Komai, Makereta (4 August 2021). "Nauru and Tuvalu athletes appear on BBC live interview from Tokyo". Oceania National Olympic Committees. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Athletics Competition Schedule". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Jonah Harris". World Athletics. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  16. ^ "100 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Nauru in Weightlifting". Olympedia. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  18. ^ "IWF Absolute Ranking List" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 25 June 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Weightlifting doping bans and Olympic invitation bring good news for Germany and Pakistan". Inside the Games. 27 June 2021. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  20. ^ a b c Komai, Makereta (5 August 2021). "World's best female weightlifters at the Tokyo Olympics inspire Nancy Abouke of Nauru". Pacnews. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Weightlifting | Women's +87kg | Results" (PDF). TOCOG. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Tokyo 2020 Day 8: Pacific Athletes - Who to watch this weekend". Radio New Zealand. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Weightlifting | Women's 76kg | Results" (PDF). TOCOG. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nauru_at_the_2020_Summer_Olympics&oldid=1225868311"