Palau at the 2000 Summer Olympics her medal after she was found using performance-enhancing drugs. Women Palau at the 2000 Summer Olympics Palau competed in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Palau is an island country located in the western region of the Caroline Islands, with a population of 21,431 as of July 2017. The nation gained independence in 1994 from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, under the trusteeship of the United States. The two countries also entered the Compact of Free Association that year, allowing the United States to be responsible for Palau's national
Independent Olympians at the Olympic Games competed as Individual Olympic Athletes during the country's transition to independence. Four athletes competed as Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics. After the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and subsequent withdrawal of the country's National Olympic Committee, three athletes from the country who qualified for the Games were allowed to compete independently. Several others competed for either Aruba or the Netherlands. The National Olympic Committee for South Sudan was not established between the formation of that state and the 2012 Olympic qualifying. One athlete from South Sudan, Guor Marial, qualified for the Games, and was allowed to compete