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Cook Islands at the 2020 Summer Olympics
The Cook Islands competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Cook Islands sent their first delegation to the Olympics at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In the Games, the country sent six athletes to the Olympics across three sports. They were Alex Beddoes in athletics, Jane Nicholas, Kohl Horton, and Jade Tierney in canoeing, and Wesley Roberts and Kirsten Fisher-Marsters in swimming. Roberts and Fisher-Marsters were the flagbearers at the opening ceremony, and there were no flagbearers at the closing ceremony. The Cook Islands did not win any medals during the Tokyo Olympics. BackgroundIn 1986, the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee was recognised by the International Olympic Committee.[2] The Cook Islands sent their first delegation to the Olympics at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Since 1988, the Cook Islands has sent delegations to all Summer Olympic games.[3] At the Games, six athletes competed for the Cook Islands. They competed across three sports (athletics, canoeing, and swimming). As of the 2020 Olympics, there has not been a Cook Islander who has won a medal at the Olympics.[4] The 2020 Summer Olympics were held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo.[5] The Cook Islands sent a delegation of six athletes.[6] Roberts and Fisher-Marsters were the flagbearers at the opening ceremony.[7] No athletes from the Cook Islands were present for the closing ceremony due to COVID-19 related protocols that required athletes to leave Japan within 48 hours from completion of their final event.[8][9] CompetitorsThe following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
AthleticsThe Cook Islands received a universality slot from the IAAF to send a male track and field athlete to the Olympics.[10] The Cook Islands were represented by one male athlete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in athletics: Alex Beddoes in the men's 800 metres run.[11] Beddoes was making his second Olympic appearance, having previously represented the Cook Islands at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[12] On 31 July, he participated in the first round of the men's 800 metres race, and was drawn into heat two. He finished the race in 1:47.26 seconds, seventh out of eight competitors in his heat, and failed to advance to the semi-finals.[13] The gold medal was eventually won in 1:45.33 by Emmanuel Korir of Kenya; the silver was won by Ferguson Rotich of Kenya, and the bronze was earned by Patryk Dobek of Poland.[14]
CanoeingSlalomThe Cook Islands qualified one canoeist in the women's K-1 class, Jane Nicholas, by finishing as the 16th ranked eligible NOC at the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain.[15]
SprintCanoeists from the Cook Islands qualified two boats in each of the following distances for the Games through the 2020 Oceania Championships in Penrith, New South Wales.[16]
Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final A (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal) SwimmingCook Islands qualified two swimmers in three events.[17]
References
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