Tonga at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Tonga at the
2016 Summer Paralympics
Flag of Tonga.svg
IPC code TGA
NPC Tonga National Paralympic Committee
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors2 in 1 sports
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Paralympics appearances

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

Tonga country in Oceania

Tonga, officially named the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state 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 state has a population of 100,651 people, of whom 70% reside on the main island of Tongatapu.

2016 Summer Paralympics fifteenth Summer Paralympic Games

The 2016 Summer Paralympics, the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. The Games marked the first time a Latin American and South American city hosted the event, the second Southern Hemisphere city and nation, the first one being the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, and also the first time a Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country hosted the event. These Games saw the introduction of two new sports to the Paralympic program: canoeing and the paratriathlon.

Rio de Janeiro Capital of state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area and the second-most populous municipality in Brazil and the sixth-most populous in the Americas. Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's third-most populous state. Part of the city has been designated as a World Heritage Site, named "Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea", by UNESCO on 1 July 2012 as a Cultural Landscape.

Contents

History

Tonga went into the Paralympic Games with never having won a Paralympic medal in their history of participating in the Games. At the previous Games in London, the country only sent one sportsperson. [1] [2]

Disability classifications

Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis. [3] [4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability. [5]

Amputation removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery

Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for such problems. A special case is that of congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where fetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, amputation of the hands, feet or other body parts is or was used as a form of punishment for people who committed crimes. Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment.

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 and over time. 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.

Wheelchair chair with wheels, used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. Wheelchairs come in a wide variety of formats to meet the specific needs of their users. They may include specialized seating adaptions, individualized controls, and may be specific to particular activities, as seen with sports wheelchairs and beach wheelchairs. The most widely recognised distinction is between powered wheelchairs ("powerchairs"), where propulsion is provided by batteries and electric motors, and manually propelled wheelchairs, where the propulsive force is provided either by the wheelchair user/occupant pushing the wheelchair by hand ("self-propelled"), or by an attendant pushing from the rear.

Athletics

Men's field

These Paralympics were Sione Manu's first. He participated in the Javelin F46 event. Manu had his left arm amputated above the elbow after an accident. [6]

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Athletics events at the 2016 Summer Paralympics were held in the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 2016. 177 events were held across two of the genders, and 1100 athletes competed. The athletics programme was the largest element of the Games programme in terms of entrants and medals awarded.

AthleteEventsResultRank
Sione Manu Javelin F46 35.6212

Women's field

Ana Talakai was the opening ceremonies flag bearer for Tonga. [7] [8] Sione Manu was her sighted guide for the opening ceremony.

AthleteEventsResultRank
Ana Talakai Shot Put F11-12 7.4412

Broadcasting

No broadcaster had the rights to the Games in Tonga. The Games were available via live streaming on the International Paralympic Committee website. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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.

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Sri Lanka at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Samoa at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Togo at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Togo competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics nine times since the 1972 Games. The delegation consisted of a single lightweight powerlifter, Aliou Bawa, who qualified by being issued with a Bipartite Commission Invitation spot by the International Paralympic Committee. Bawa was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Bawa failed to record a mark in the men's 49 kg category after being unable to lift 113 kilograms of weight in his three attempts.

Seychelles at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Seychelles sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the second time that the country took part in the Summer Paralympic Games after it made its debut twenty-four years prior at the 1992 Summer Paralympics and established a new National Paralympic Committee with assistance from UK Sport. Discus thrower Cyril Charles was the only competitor that the nation sent to Rio de Janeiro. In his event, the men's Javelin F56–57, he ranked fourteenth and last out of all the competing athletes with a personal best throw of 16.97 metres.

Lesotho at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Lesotho sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the fifth time the country competed in the Summer Paralympic Games after it made its debut sixteen years prior at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. The delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: sprinter Sello Mothebe and discus thrower Litsitso Khotele. Mothebe originally came third in the heats of the men's 200 metres T12 and the men's 400 metres T12 events but he was retroactively disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance. Khotele ranked tenth in the women's discus throw F43–44 competition with a throw of 19.91 metres.

Ivory Coast at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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

The Gambia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Republic of the Congo at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Papua New Guinea at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Virgin Islands at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the Virgin Islands' second time competing at a Summer Paralympic Games. They were represented by one athlete, Ivan Espinosa, who contested one event, the men's 1500 meters T37. In that event, he came in 8th place.

Haiti at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Afghanistan at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Nepal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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Malta at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Malta competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its ninth appearance at the quadrennial event with the exception of the years between 1988 and 2004. The delegation consisted of one short distance swimmer, Vladyslava Kravchenko, who was announced as the country's representative in April 2016. She was chosen as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Kravchenko competed in three swimming events but failed to advance into the final of each event as her times in her respective competitions were not fast enough to qualify for the later stages of each contest.

Faroe Islands at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

The Faroe Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. They sent one participant, Krista Mørkøre, who participated in three events in swimming. Her top finish was 10th in women's 400 m freestyle S10, and she did not qualify for the finals of any of her three events.

Niger at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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

References

  1. 1 2 "Tonga Paralympics - Rio 2016 Medals, Athletes & News". International Paralympic Committee. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Two Tongan athletes at Rio Paralympics". Matangi Tonga Online. September 5, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Manu Sione Biographical Information". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Ana Talakai Biographical Information". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Full list of flag bearers for opening ceremony of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games". Rio2016.com. International Paralympic Committee. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
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