Media Release:

The Vanuatu Swimming team has safely arrived in Suva (Fiji) ahead of the upcoming XIV Oceania Swimming Championships, taking place from Saturday 9th to Tuesday 12th May. It will be a mix of experience and youth, with 2024 Olympian Johnathan Silas OLY returning to the team for the first time since the Paris Olympic Games, while 14-year-old Rémy Idieder makes his Vanuatu debut.

The 10-person delegation features 7 swimmers (2 female and 5 males) and 3 officials. Johnathan Silas OLY, Loane Russet OLY, Léo Lebot and Chloe Ameara return for their 2nd Oceania Championships, having debuted in the 2024 version on the Gold Coast (Australia). Dani Teilemb and Robsen Dick, return for their second Vanuatu team, making their international debut at the 2025 Pacific Mini-Games in Palau. While  Rémy Idieder is making his full Vanuatu debut, at only 14-years of age.

2024 Paris Olympian, Johnathan Silas OLY commented ‘It is great to be back at an international competition, around all the other Oceania athletes, but especially my Vanuatu teammates. It is great to see how the team has grown in the last few years and we all can’t wait to get in the water and do our best for our family and our country.’

The Championships will be the final selection event for the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (Scotland), while also serving as one of the qualification meets for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (Senegal) and the 2026 World Short Course Championships in Beijing (China).

Team Manager Louisa Pedro added ‘We’ve worked hard to build our swimming depth, which is a credit to the clubs that are producing and training these athletes, alongside our national coaches. This competition will give our swimmers invaluable international experience, while acting as rare qualification event for some bigger international events to come.’

The Vanuatu Aquatics Federation would like to thanks the Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (VASANOC) and World Aquatics who have provided invaluable financial support through their respective funding programs, to allow Vanuatu to attend and compete at this event. It wouldn’t be possible without their support.

Regular updates and results will be posted on Vanuatu Aquatics Federation social media, as well as by Oceania Aquatics. The event will be live streamed by VITI+, an online pay-per-view streaming service.

The full list of events is:

Saturday 9th May:

Sunday 10th May:

Monday 11th May:

Tuesday 12th May:

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