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 Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games, is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, has taken place every four years since then. The Commonwealth Games were known as the British Empire Games from 1930 to 1950, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966, and British Commonwealth Games from 1970 to 1974. Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams, making the Commonwealth Games the first fully inclusive international multi-sport event. In 2018, the Games became the first global multi-sport event to feature an equal number of men's and women's medal events.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coincide with the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth, and Manchester was selected for the 2002 Games ahead of London. 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 numbers of teams and athletes participating. In terms of sports and events, the 2002 Games were the largest 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 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.
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.
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.
Beach Volleyball at the 2018 Commonwealth Games was held on the Gold Coast, Australia from 6 to 12 April. The beach volleyball competition was held at Coolangatta Beachfront. This was the first time that Beach Volleyball was held at the Commonwealth Games. A total of twelve men's and twelve women's teams are scheduled to compete in each respective tournament.
Vanuatu competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15, 2018.
Vanuatu competed at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 October to 18 October 2018.
Vanuatu will compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August 2022. It will be Vanuatu's eleventh appearance at the Games.