Place: 2016 Rio Olympic Stadium  
Athletes: David Katoatau (Kiribati) 
Discipline: Weightlifting
Event: Men’s  105KG
Result: rank Six

 

August 31, 2021

 

Following the game, David Katoatau told the press that many people are unaware of Kiribati's existence and that he hopes this move will bring international attention to his country and its climate-related problems. Kiribati is one of the first countries to be affected by global warming. Kiribati's two uninhabited islands, Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea, vanished from the map in 1999. There may be an increasing number of Pacific island countries that vanish in the future. People will lose their homes and become climate refugees as a result of repeated losses.

 

* Background information: Kiribati is a Pacific island country in the South Pacific. The country's territory includes 32 atolls and one coral island. There is the world's largest marine protected area there. Singing and dancing are part of the daily routine for its lively, enthusiastic, and vivacious residents. As a result of global warming, sea levels have risen in recent years, and the country's land has been rapidly dwindling.