Vanuatu at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Vanuatu joined the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Three athletes from Vanuatu took part. Moses Kamut and Elis Lapenmal both ran in the 100m sprints for men and women. Priscilla Tommy played in the women's table tennis event. Priscilla was chosen by the IOC's special group. She was the first Vanuatuan table tennis player at the Olympics. She also carried the country's flag during the opening ceremony.

The Vanuatuan team had the country's leader and prime minister, but only Elis Lapenmal went with them. Moses and Priscilla arrived at different times.

Sadly, none of the three athletes won medals, as they did not move past the first round in their events.

Background

Vanuatu has participated in the Olympics since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing was the sixth time Vanuatu joined the games.

In 2008, Vanuatu tried something new: table tennis, instead of just running events.

The team left for Beijing on August 4. It included athletes, coaches, and leaders from Vanuatu. Priscila Tommy carried Vanuatu’s flag during the opening ceremony. She was 17, the youngest on the team. Moses Kamut was 26, the oldest. Elis Lapenmal ran with Kamut, and Tommy played table tennis. Vanuatu did not win any medals that year.

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Moses Kamut and Elis Lapenmal represented Vanuatu in running events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kamut ran in the men's 100m sprint. Lapenmal ran in the women's 100m dash.

Men

Women

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

Table tennis

Main article: Table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Priscilla Tommy got help from the Samsung Scholarship to pay for her trip to the Beijing games. She was chosen by a special group called the Tripartite Commission to join the games. She was the only person from Vanuatu in table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics. On August 17, she played against Eva Ódorová from Slovakia but lost the match.

Athlete	Event	Preliminary round	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Priscilla Tommy	Women's singles	Ódorová (SVK) L 0–4	Did not advance