Nauru at the Olympics

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The Pacific island nation Nauru (NRU) competed at the Summer Olympic Games first in the 1996 games in Atlanta. The country has made subsequent appearances in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004, and in Beijing in 2008.

The nation is mainly known for its weightlifting tradition and all seven athletes that have competed for Nauru at the Olympics have been weightlifters.

Nauru earns a distinction for being the smallest nation (by population) in the 202 member International Olympic Committee.

Under the leadership of the Hon. Vinson Detenamo, the Olympic movement began in Nauru in the early 1990s. The Olympic Committee was established in 1991 and talks with the International Olympic Committee started the same year. In May 1994 Nauru presented its bid to join the IOC and in September 1994 the nation was accepted, clearing the path for participation in the 1996 games.

1996 was not the first time that Nauru athletes participated in the Olympics. After his sensational win in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, weightlifter Marcus Stephen petitioned for citizenship in Samoa to compete in the 1992 games. Stephen again competed at the Olympics in 1996 and 2000, now for his native country. He placed 11th in the 62 kg category in 2000. In 2009, he replaced Vinson Detenamo as president of Nauru's National Olympic Committee.

Paul Coffa is the weightlifting coach of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation and...
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