Vanuatu at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Vanuatu at the 2016 Summer Olympics
IOC code	VAN
NOC	Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee
Website	www.oceaniasport.com/vanuatu
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors	4 in 4 sports
Flag bearer	Yoshua Shing[1]
Medals	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 0 0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016

Vanuatu competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.

The Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (VASNOC) selected a quartet of male athletes to compete each in boxing, judo, rowing, and table tennis at the Games, failing to register women for the first time in its Summer Olympic history.^[1][2] All of them made their Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, except for table tennis player Yoshua Shing, who attended the London Games four years earlier as the lone returning Olympian. The most experienced competitor of the roster, Shing was given the honor of carrying the Vanuatu flag at the opening ceremony.^[1]

Vanuatu, however, has yet to win its first ever Olympic medal, as neither of these athletes progressed beyond the first round of their respective sporting events.

Boxing

Vanuatu has received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send a male boxer competing in the bantamweight division to the Games, signifying the nation's return to the sport for the first time since 1988.^[3][4]

Athlete	Event	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Lionel Warawara	Men's bantamweight	Nikitin (RUS) L 0–3	Did not advance

Judo

Vanuatu has qualified one judoka for the men's half-lightweight category (66 kg) at the Games. Joe Mahit earned a continental quota spot from the Oceania region as Vanuatu's top-ranked judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016.^[5]

Athlete	Event	Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Repechage	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Joe Mahit	Men's −66 kg	Bye	Mata (ARU) L 000–100	Did not advance

Rowing

Vanuatu has received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send a rower in the men's single sculls to the Rio regatta, signifying the nation's Olympic debut in the sport.^[6]

Athlete	Event	Heats		Repechage		Quarterfinals		Semifinals		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Luigi Teilemb	Men's single sculls	8:00.42	6 R	7:34.12	3 SE/F	Bye		8:19.15	3 FE	8:24.67	30

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Table tennis

Vanuatu has entered one athlete into the table tennis competition at the Games. 2012 Olympian Yoshua Shing picked up an unused berth freed by New Zealand to round out the top three in the men's singles at the 2016 Oceania Qualification Tournament in Bendigo, Australia.^[7]

Athlete	Event	Preliminary	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Yoshua Shing	Men's singles	Madrid (MEX) L 0–4	Did not advance

References

1. "VASANOC present gear to Team Vanuatu for Rio 2016". Loop VAN. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
2. Ewart, Richard (1 August 2016). "Vanuatu Olympic quartet have earnt their places at the Rio Games". ABC News Australia. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
3. "Olympic Games Tripartite Commission confirms its five Invitation Places for the men's Rio 2016 boxing competition". AIBA. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
4. "Duo confirmed for Rio". The Fiji Times. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
5. "IJF Officially Announces Qualified Athletes for Rio 2016 Olympic Games". International Judo Federation. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
6. "Sport: Vanuatu rower qualifies for Rio Olympics". Radio New Zealand. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
7. "Vanuatu Table Tennis Association Yoshua Shing Qualified on Merit for Rio Olympics". Fox Sports Pulse. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.