Fiji at the Olympics

Fiji at the Olympics
IOC code	FIJ
NOC	Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee
Website	www.fijiolympiccommittee.com
Medals	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 0 0
Summer appearances
1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Winter appearances
1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006–2014

Fiji, having made its Olympic debut at the 1956 Summer Games, has competed at fourteen Summer Games and three Winter Games. Its athletes have taken part in archery, athletics, boxing, judo, sailing, shooting, swimming, weightlifting and rugby sevens.^[1]

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Fiji rugby team won a gold medal, the country's first ever Olympic Medal.

History

Qualifications

Prior to the introduction of rugby sevens, Fiji's national sport, at the 2016 Summer Olympics,^[2] only two athletes had taken part in Olympic Games through reaching the required standards to qualify, rather than by receiving a wild card invitation. They are Makelesi Bulikiobo, who qualified for the women's 400 metre sprint at the 2008 Games in Beijing, and Leslie Copeland, who with a throw of 80.45 metres qualified for the men's javelin event at the 2012 Games in London.^[3][4]

Invitations

Fiji's Winter Olympians were Rusiate Rogoyawa in cross-country skiing (1988, 1994) and Laurence Thoms in alpine skiing (2002), both participating by invite.

Notable Participants

Fiji have had two competitors appear at five separate Summer Olympic Games. Windsurfer Tony Philp competed in five consecutive Games from Los Angeles in 1984 (when he was just 15 years of age) to Sydney 2000, finishing 10th on two occasions.^[5] Swimmer Carl Probert matched the feat in Beijing 2008, having first appeared at the 1992 Summer Olympics at Barcelona.^[6]

Medalling

Fiji earned its first ever Olympic medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, a gold in Men's Rugby Sevens.^[7]

As a result, the winning team broke out in a victory song that drew considerable online attention and Fiji declared a national holiday for the win.^[8]

Medal tables

Medals by Summer Games Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1956 Melbourne 5 0 0 0 0 – 1960 Rome 2 0 0 0 0 – 1964 Tokyo Did Not Participate 1968 Mexico City 1 0 0 0 0 – 1972 Munich 2 0 0 0 0 – 1976 Montreal 2 0 0 0 0 – 1980 Moscow Did Not Participate 1984 Los Angeles 15 0 0 0 0 – 1988 Seoul 24 0 0 0 0 – 1992 Barcelona 19 0 0 0 0 – 1996 Atlanta 17 0 0 0 0 – 2000 Sydney 7 0 0 0 0 – 2004 Athens 10 0 0 0 0 – 2008 Beijing 6 0 0 0 0 – 2012 London 9 0 0 0 0 – 2016 Rio de Janeiro 52 1 0 0 1 54 2020 Tokyo future event Total 1 0 0 1 107

Medals by Winter Games Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1988 Calgary 1 0 0 0 0 – 1992 Albertville did not participate 1994 Lillehammer 1 0 0 0 0 – 1998 Nagano did not participate 2002 Salt Lake City 1 0 0 0 0 – 2006 Turin did not participate 2010 Vancouver 2014 Sochi Total 0 0 0 0 –

Medals by Summer sport

  Leading in that sport

Sport	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
Rugby sevens	1	0	0	1	1
Total	1	0	0	1	107

List of medalists

Summer sports

Medal	Name(s)	Games	Sport	Event
Gold	Domolailai, ApisaiApisai Domolailai Veremalua, JasaJasa Veremalua Tuwai, JerryJerry Tuwai Tuisova, JosuaJosua Tuisova Taliga, KitioneKitione Taliga Nakarawa, LeoneLeone Nakarawa Dakuwaqa, MasivesiMasivesi Dakuwaqa Kolinisau, OseaOsea Kolinisau Viriviri, SamisoniSamisoni Viriviri Rawaca, SavenacaSavenaca Rawaca Viriviri, SamisoniSamisoni Viriviri Ravouvou, VatemoVatemo Ravouvou Mata, ViliameViliame Mata	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Rugby Sevens	Men's tournament

See also

• List of flag bearers for Fiji at the Olympics
• Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics
• Fiji at the Paralympics

References

1. "Fiji". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
2. Brewer, Jerry. "Fiji's rugby sevens team on the verge of making history at Rio Olympics". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
3. "The London dream", Fiji Times, 22 August 2011
4. Fiji at the Olympics, The Telegraph
5. "Tony Philp". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
6. "Carl Probert". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
7. Msallem, Habib (11 August 2016). "Fiji storms to first-ever men's rugby sevens gold at Rio 2016". rio2016.com. Rio 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
8. "The Fijian way: The people's team delivers 1st Olympic gold". Daily Mail. Associated Press. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.

External links

• "Fiji". International Olympic Committee.
• "Fiji". Sports-Reference.com.