Vanuatu at the 2008 Summer Olympics

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

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

Unfortunately, none of the three athletes moved past the first round in their events, so Vanuatu did not win any medals that year.

Background

Vanuatu has participated in the Olympics since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing marked its sixth time joining the games. Vanuatu usually sends athletes for running events, but in 2008, they tried something new: table tennis.

The team left for Beijing on August 4 and 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, while Moses Kamut was 26, the oldest. Elis Lapenmal joined Kamut in running events, 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 on August 14, finishing in 10.81 seconds and placing seventh in his heat. He did not move on to the next round.

Lapenmal ran in the women's 100m dash on August 15, finishing in 13.31 seconds and placing eighth in her heat. She also did not advance to the next round.

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 and did not move on to the next round.

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