Tonga at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

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Tonga at the
2008 Summer Paralympics
Flag of Tonga.svg
IPC code TGA
NPC Tonga National Paralympic Committee
in Beijing
Competitors 1 in 1 sport
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Paralympics appearances

Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China.

Tonga country in Oceania

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian country and archipelago comprising 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. The total surface area is about 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi) scattered over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) of the southern Pacific Ocean. The sovereign state has a population of 100,651 people, of whom 70% reside on the main island of Tongatapu.

2008 Summer Paralympics

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the 13th Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao.

Beijing Municipality in Peoples Republic of China

Beijing, formerly romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China, the world's third most populous city proper, and most populous capital city. The city, located in northern China, is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of central government with 16 urban, suburban, and rural districts. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast; together the three divisions form the Jingjinji metropolitan region and the national capital region of China.

Contents

The Tonga National Olympic Committee initially reported that the country's sole representative would be Sione Manu, in the men's shot put. [1] However, in the end, Manu was not part of Tonga's delegation, and the nation's single competitor was Mounga Okusitino, in the men's 100 metre sprint for athletes with cerebral palsy. [2]

Cerebral palsy A group of disorders affecting the development of movement and posture, often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, and behavior. It results from damage to the fetal or infant brain.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking. Often, babies with cerebral palsy do not roll over, sit, crawl or walk as early as other children of their age. Other symptoms include seizures and problems with thinking or reasoning, which each occur in about one third of people with CP. While symptoms may get more noticeable over the first few years of life, underlying problems do not worsen over time.

Athletics

NameEventTimeRank
Mounga Okusitino Men's 100 metres T37 14.81 6th (out of 6) in heat 1;
did not advance

See also

Tonga at the Paralympics

Tonga first participated at the Paralympic Games in 2000, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Paralympic Games since then. The country has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics.

Tonga at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Tonga competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that celebrated in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Tonga was represented by the Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee, and was one of 117 nations that won no medals at the Games. Tonga was represented by three athletes competing in two sports–Aisea Tohi and Ana Po'uhila in track and field events, and Maamaloa Lolohea in weightlifting. The delegation's appearance at the Olympics marked its seventh consecutive appearance at the Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The flag bearer for Tonga in Beijing was field athlete Ana Po'uhila.

Related Research Articles

Tonga at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. Sydney was Tonga's fifth consecutive appearance at a Summer Olympic Games. The Tongan delegation to Sydney consisted of two track and field athletes; Toluta'u Koula and Ana Siulolo Liku; and weightlifter Tevita Kofe Ngalu. Neither of the track athletes advanced beyond the first round of their events, while Ngalu came 13th in the men's 105 kg category.

Tonga at the Olympics

Tonga has competed in eight editions of the Olympic Summer Games and two of the Olympic Winter Games. Tonga became the smallest independent nation to have won an Olympic medal in the Summer games when Super Heavyweight Boxer Paea Wolfgramm earned silver in the 1996 Super heavyweight 91 kg championships in Atlanta.

Croatia at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

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Switzerland at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

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Algeria at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

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Chinese Taipei at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

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Tonga at the 2004 Summer Paralympics

Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The country was represented by a single athlete, Alailupe Valeti, who competed in a shot put event for visually impaired athletes.

Tonga at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. The country was represented by a single athlete, Alailupe Valeti, who competed in the discus and in the shot put, in events for visually impaired athletes. It was Tonga's first participation in the Paralympic Games.

Turkmenistan at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Turkmenistan sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. The country was represented by three athletes, all competing in powerlifting.

Burundi at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Burundi sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. It was Burundi's first ever participation in the Paralympic Games. According to official records, the following three athletes competed in the games:

Georgia at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Georgia sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The country was represented by a single athlete who competed in powerlifting.

Kyrgyzstan at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Kyrgyzstan sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The only recorded athlete was powerlifter Roman Omurbekov.

Luxembourg at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Luxembourg sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. According to official records, the country's only athlete competed in cycling.

Bangladesh at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Bangladesh sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. According to official records, the country's only athlete competed in athletics.

Tajikistan at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Tajikistan sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The country was represented by two athletes, both competing in powerlifting. Flagbearer Khayrullo Abdurahimov, however, does not appear on his event's official scoresheet, so he seems to not have been active in the Paralympics.

Vanuatu at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Vanuatu competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. The country was making its return to the Paralympic Games, having been absent from the 2004 edition. Vanuatu sent only a small delegation with powerlifter Tom Tete as the only athlete, and did not win any medals.

Tonga at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

Tonga participated in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from August 29 to September 9, 2012. Their participation marked their fourth consecutive Summer Paralympics appearance since their début at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. Tonga was represented by the Tonga National Paralympic Committee, and was one of the 45 participating countries that sent only a single athlete. Tonga has always sent only a single athlete from Sydney 2000 to London 2012. Tonga National Paralympic Committee sent a delegation of three people, including one athlete. The sole athlete to represent the nation was ʻAloʻalo Liku, who participated in javelin and discus throw. Liku was the country's flag-bearer during the Games' opening ceremony. Tonga did not win a medal at these Games, however Liku finished with seasonal bests in both the events.

Faroe Islands at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

The Faroe Islands sent a delegation to compete in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012. This was the nation's eighth time competing in a Summer Paralympic Games. The Faroese delegation consisted of one swimmer, Ragnvaldur Jensen. In his only event, the men's 100 meter breaststroke SB14 he finished seventh in his heat and failed to qualify for the finals.

Tonga at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Tonga competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.

References