Vanuatu competed in the Commonwealth Games for the sixth time, once again failing to win any medals. [1] The country was represented by three athletes (Moses Kamut, Robert Nidithawaea and Jimmy Sandy), who all competed in track athletics events. Sandy was Vanuatu's flagbearer during the Games' opening ceremony. [2]
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vanuatu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August 2002. According to planning, this event was to be held in a country in the United Kingdom as part of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth. England was the only bidder for the event and, in an internal process, Manchester was selected for the 2002 Games ahead of London. The Manchester bid used projects which were part of the failed bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, which were awarded to Sydney, Australia. The 2002 Commonwealth Games was, prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing the London 1948 Summer Olympics in terms of teams and athletes participating. The 2002 Commonwealth Games had the largest number of events of any Commonwealth Games in history, featuring 281 events across 17 sports.
Blair Robert Hopping is a field hockey player from New Zealand, who earned his first cap for the national team, nicknamed The Black Sticks, in 2000 against Pakistan. He competed for New Zealand at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Moira Anita Senior is a field hockey striker from New Zealand, who finished sixth with her national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She competed at the Commonwealth games either side of the Sydney Olympics, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Injury suspended her career until a return to international hockey in late 2004 when she was named in the Champions Trophy side after completing the 2004 NHL as one of the top goal scorers. She scored eight goals for the Central Mysticks, who won the women's title.
Sandra Kaye Bennett, more recently known as Sandy Hitchcock, is a former field hockey player who represented New Zealand at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Diana Elizabeth Weavers is a field hockey defender from New Zealand, who finished sixth with her national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She also competed with The Black Sticks at the 1998 and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Suzie Ngaire Muirhead is a field hockey defender who was a member of the New Zealand team which finished sixth at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She also competed with The Black Sticks at the 1998 and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where the team also finished sixth.
The Scotland national rugby sevens team competes in the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. It also competed World Rugby Sevens Series although it has been replaced by a combined Great Britain team in this competition.
The Commonwealth Water Polo Championships are held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games, although they are no longer included in the Commonwealth Games programme. They are in a round robin format.
At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the City of Manchester Stadium on 26–30 July 2002. The route for the marathon event crossed Manchester city centre and finished in the stadium. The race walk events began alongside the Lowry Centre at Salford Quays. There were twenty-five men's events and 23 women's events; the schedules were identical except that there were men's 3000 metres steeplechase and 50 kilometres walk events. Pole vaulter Dominic Johnson won a bronze medal, Saint Lucia's only medal of the Games.
The boxing tournaments at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester took place from July 26 to August 3 at the Forum Centre, and the Manchester Evening News Arena.
Vanuatu has competed in ten of the twenty previous Commonwealth Games; starting at the Games in 1982. Vanuatu won its first medals at the 2018 games, when Friana Kwevira won bronze in the women's F46 javelin throw and when Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu won bronze in beach volleyball.
Nacanieli Qerewaqa Takayawa is a Fijian judoka.
Gillian Cooke is a Scottish track and field athlete and bobsledder. She was born and brought up in Edinburgh, and educated at George Watson's College. She began her sporting career in track and field with Edinburgh Southern Harriers. In 2001, she took fourth place in the triple jump at the Commonwealth Youth Games, and set a Scottish junior record for the pole vault. She set three Scottish senior records in the pole vault in two months in 2002, and was selected to represent Scotland in that event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Vanuatu competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. Vanuatu's Table Tennis Federation has been for many years, honoured to select its players as the flag bearer of the 2010 Commonwealth games. As a result, Yoshua Shing was nominated flag bearer of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Vanuatu participated in table tennis at the commonwealth games for singles, doubles and mixed events. The events were held at the Yamuna Sports Complex from 4 to 14 October 2010.
Anolyn Lulu is a Ni-Vanuatu table tennis player who competed in 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the flag-bearer for Vanuatu at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2023 Pacific Games.
Yoshua Shing is a Vanuatuan table tennis player. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's singles, but was defeated in the preliminary round in both competitions. He was the flagbearer for Vanuatu at the 2016 opening ceremony. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Men's singles.
Vanuatu competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland from 23 July – 3 August 2014. A team of 12 athletes in 2 sports are representing the country. Participating in their ninth Commonwealth Games, Vanuatuans have never yet won a medal.
Vanuatu competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15, 2018.
Vanuatu competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August 2022. It was Vanuatu's eleventh appearance at the Games.
Ajah Pritchard-Lolo is a Ni-Vanuatu weightlifter. After competing in CrossFit events, she took up weightlifting during the COVID-19 pandemic and contested the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she finished eighth in the 87 kg event. She then won four medals in the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she placed 11th out of 13.