The Pacific island nation Nauru first competed at the Summer Olympic Games in the 1996 games in Atlanta. It is the least populated nation in the 206-member International Olympic Committee. The nation is mainly known for its weightlifting tradition and all seven athletes that had competed for Nauru at the Olympics before 2012 were weightlifters.
Sierra Leone sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was the African nation's sixth time appearing at a Summer Olympic Games. The delegation consisted of three competitors, two track and field athletes; Alpha B. Kamara and Ekundayo Williams; and weightlifter Joseph Bellon. Neither of the track athletes advanced beyond the first round of their events, while Bellon finished 16th in the men's under 77 kg event.
Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. Sydney was Tonga's fifth consecutive appearance at a Summer Olympic Games. The Tongan delegation to Sydney consisted of two track and field athletes; Toluta'u Koula and Ana Siulolo Liku; and weightlifter Tevita Kofe Ngalu. Neither of the track athletes advanced beyond the first round of their events, while Ngalu came 13th in the men's 105 kg category.
Aruba sent a delegation to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States from 19 July to 4 August 1996. This was Aruba's third appearance at a Summer Olympic Games since separating from the Netherlands Antilles. The Aruban delegation consisted of three competitors, track and field athlete Miguel Janssen, weightlifter Junior Faro, and cyclist Lucien Dirksz. Janseen was eliminated in the first round of the men's 200 metres, Faro finished 21st in the men's middleweight, and Dirksz failed to finish his event.
The Cook Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain from 25 July to 9 August 1992. This was the island nation's second appearance at a Summer Olympics, following the 1988 Summer Olympics. The delegation to Barcelona consisted of two competitors, track and field athlete Mark Sherwin and weightlifter Sam Nunuke Pera. Sherwin failed to advance out of his heat in the men's 100 meters, while Pera did not complete a lift in the men's 100 kilograms category.
The Solomon Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States from 19 July to 4 August 1996. This was the nation's fourth appearance at a Summer Olympic Games. The delegation to Atlanta consisted of four athletes, three in track and field: Selwyn Kole, Primo Higa, and Nester Geniwala'a; and one in weightlifting: Tony Analau. None of the athletes made their event final.
Nauru competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that were celebrated in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Nauru was represented by the Nauru Olympic Committee, and was the only nation out of 204 participating nations and territories that sent only a single athlete, and was one of 117 that won no medals at the Games. The sole athlete to represent the nation was Itte Detenamo, who participated in the weightlifting, and was the flag bearer in both the opening and closing ceremonies. This was the same number of athletes as at the 1996 Olympics, when Marcus Stephen represented the country in the same sport, but was a decrease from the nation's last appearance at the Games when three athletes were sent to Athens. Nauru earned a berth for the weightlifting event in the Oceania and South Pacific Olympic Weightlifting Championships in 2008 and a chance to send participants in swimming and athletics events, but chose to send only a weightlifter. Itte Detenamo competed in the Group B of heavyweight class, fifteenth and last event of the weightlifting. He did not earn a medal, but finished with a personal best.
These are the results of the men's 70 kg competition in weightlifting at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. A total of 28 athletes entered this event. The weightlifter from China won the gold, with a combined lift of 357.5 kg.
These are the results of the men's 91 kg competition in weightlifting at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. A total of 25 athletes entered this event. Each weightlifter had three attempts for both the snatch and clean and jerk lifting methods. The total of the best successful lift of each method was used to determine the final rankings and medal winners. The weightlifter from Russia won the gold, with a combined lift of 402.5 kg.
Nauru was represented at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester by a team consisting solely of weight-lifters. Marcus Stephen, who became President of Nauru five years later, competed for the fourth and last time. The 2002 Games were the first edition of the Commonwealth Games in which he failed to win a gold medal; Nauru's two golds were won by Reanna Solomon.
Nauru was represented at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur by a team consisting in six weight-lifters and one runner, Aneri Canon. Marcus Stephen, who became President of Nauru nine years later, competed for the third time and won his country's only medals of the 1998 Games. There were no female competitors for Nauru, by contrast with the 2002 Games, in which women won ten of Nauru's fifteen medals, including its two gold.
Reanna Solomon was a Nauruan weightlifter. She was the first female Nauruan athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and remains one of the only three Nauruans ever to have won a Commonwealth Games gold, the others being Marcus Stephen and Yukio Peter.
Quincy Saul Detenamo was an Olympic weightlifter who was found guilty of manslaughter in Australia.
Nauru took part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, sending six athletes to compete in boxing and weightlifting. Nauru has won medals in every edition of the Commonwealth Games since it first took part in 1990, and in particular won fifteen medals in weightlifting at the 2002 Games in Manchester.
Nauru competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its fifth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of two participants: Sled Dowabobo in the men's lightweight judo contest and Itte Detenamo in the men's super-heavyweight weightlifting competition. Dowabobo qualified as one of Oceania's highest ranked judo competitors while Detenamo made the Games based on his qualifying performance. Detenamo was the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dowabobo was eliminated by his opponent Navruz Jurakobilov in the round of 64 and Detemano was 14th in his event.
Om Yun-chol or Um Yoon-chul is a North Korean retired weightlifter, coach, Olympic Champion, and five time World Champion competing in the 56 kg category until 2018 and 55 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. He is 152 centimetres and weighs 55 kilograms (121 lb). Om represents the Amnokgang Sports Team.
Sam Nunuke Pera is a retired Cook Islands weightlifter. He represented the Cook Islands in three editions of the Olympic Games, and has been named the nation's sportsman of the year five times. Pera is also the father of Sam Pera, Jr., who later competed in the same weightlifting division at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Nauru competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation in Brazil was its sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Nauru's delegation included two participants: Ovini Uera, a judoka in the men's middleweight judo category; and Elson Brechtefeld in the men's 56 kg weightlifting competition. Uera qualified as Nauru's top-ranked judoka, in the IJF World Ranking List through a quota slot from the Oceania Judo Union. Brechtefeld qualified by grant from the International Weightlifting Federation of an unused quota place. Uera was eliminated by Varlam Liparteliani in the round of 16 and Brechtefeld finished 15th in his event.
Nauru competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's participation in Tokyo marked its seventh appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1996.
Maximina Uepa is a weightlifter from Nauru. She won the bronze medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. She is the current Nauruan women's record-holder in the 71 kg category for overall, snatch and clean and jerk.
