Kiribati is an archipelago nation in the South Pacific Ocean, which was formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, and was part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. They were a British colony from 1892 but achieved independence in 1979 as two states: Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) and Tuvalu (Ellice Islands). The name is pronounced “Kiribass”. Kiribati formed a National Olympic Committee (NOC) in 2002 and held its inaugural meeting in November 2002. Kiribati was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 115th Session in Prague on 3 July 2003. At Athens in 2004, Kiribati was represented by three athletes – one female and one male in track & field athletics, and one male weightlifter. The best Kiribatian result was a 13th place in the men’s 85 kg weightlifting competition of 2004, by Meameaa Thomas.
