History is in the making! For the first time ever, Vanuatu will be represented in the pool at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal (31 October – 13 November 2026), with swimmers Rémy Idieder (15) and Chloe Ameara (17).
Rémy earned his place with a record-breaking international debut at the Oceania Championships in Fiji—breaking two senior and four junior national records, and has been training at Brisbane Boys’ College under National Head Coach Lachlan Milner. Chloe, earning her sixth national team selection, has been preparing here in Port Vila with local coach, Josh Trowell, while sitting her final school exams.
Race schedule:
Rémy will swim the:
-100m freestyle (2 Nov),
-100m backstroke (3 Nov),
– 200m IM (4 Nov) and
-50m backstroke (5 Nov);
Chloe will swim the:
-100m backstroke (3 Nov),
– 50m freestyle (4 Nov),
-50m Backstroke (5 Nov), and
-50m Breaststroke (5 Nov).
[Photo Credit: Remy & Chloe taken by Kali Ameara]
The team will be led by VAF Technical Director Ben Howard as team leader and coach. the whole VAF community is behind you—go well in Dakar! 🇻🇺 Read the story in the Vanuatu Daily Post 👉 Vanuatu swimmers set for Youth Olympic Games debut (by Nicholas Mwai)