Background
Aruba had competed in five consecutive Olympic Games by 2008; its entrance into the Beijing Olympics marked its sixth consecutive appearance since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In the summer of 2008, the fewest athletes in Aruba's history thus far participated in the Olympics, with two men participating in two events. This compares with Aruba's participation in the previous 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where Aruba was represented by four athletes of three sports. Aruba's 2008 Olympic representatives included no female athletes, which had occurred only once previously in Atlanta's 1996 Summer Olympics (three male athletes participating in three distinct sports).
On August 1, 2008, the Aruban athletes left for Beijing aboard KLM Flight 765. Vis and Roodzant were accompanied by their trainers and COA officials Edmundo Josiah and Chu Halabi. COA president Leo Maduro and COA officials Mary Hsing and Ling Wong left for Beijing three days later. Alongside IOC member Nicole Hoevertsz, this group formed the Aruban delegation to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
The Aruban delegation arrived at the Olympic Village on August 6, 2008, alongside the delegations of Paraguay, Cuba, and Tuvalu. As part of the welcoming ceremony, the Chinese military hoisted the Aruban flag, and the Aruban national anthem "Aruba Dushi Tera" was performed. The Aruban delegation and the governing body of the Olympic Village exchanged gifts.
Aruba's athletes were 109th to enter the Beijing National Stadium during the march of nations of the opening ceremony. Fiderd Vis, the only judoka representing Aruba, was the flagbearer. During the closing ceremony, the swimmer Jan Roodzant was the flagbearer.
Read more about this topic: Aruba At The 2008 Summer Olympics
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