Kiribati

Kiribati became a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation in 1998 in time to send its first ever team beyond the Pacific for competition at the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Games.

Two competitors took part in the weightlifting in Malaysia and in Manchester, four years later, a delegation of 15 people representing track and field, weightlifting, triathlon and table tennis established this central Pacific nation as a member of the Games Family.

Kiribati (pronounced 'Kiribas') is made up off 33 islands (21 inhabited) across 5.2 million square kms of ocean and joined the Commonwealth in 1979. It's National Sports Council (NSC) became properly established as a non-Government organisation representing the interests of all sport in 1996.

Prior to this time all sport in the country was administered by the Government. Once membership into the CGF was granted the NSC Executive Board assumed these responsibilities and in 2003 Kiribati obtained National Olympic Committee status and competed in its first Olympic Games in Athens a year later.

Capital - Tarawa

Area - 811 sq km

Population - 87,025

Time Zone - GMT +12:00

Language - English, Gilbertese

Currency - Australian Dollar ($A)