COME ON KIRIBATI!



I made my first trip up to the Olympic Village this afternoon to meet the newest members of the Olympic Family.



Kiribati, a cluster of 33 coral atolls straddling the equator that was formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, is entering the Olympics for the first time. It has sent 3 athletes to Athens -- two runners and a weightlifter.

Kaitinano Mwemweata will become Kiribati's first Olympian when she runs in the 100 metres tomorrow morning.



Theirs is a classic Olympic tale.

The country's whole population could fit inside the Olympic stadium.

The team trains on a coral sand and concrete track -- the nation's only sporting facility. They have to share running spikes because there aren't enough pairs to go round. And because there are only a handful of television sets on the island, most people will rely on the radio and word-of-mouth to hear how their Olympians are doing thousands of miles away.

I came away with a great memento -- a photo taken alongside the very first Olympic Team Kiribati.

We'll be shaping our interviews into a radio package that'll run tomorrow....I'm also hoping to post up a Kiribati videoblog in the morning.