| Tonga at the Paralympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | TGA |
| NPC | Tonga National Paralympic Committee |
| Medals |
|
| Summer appearances | |
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.
Two athletes have represented Tonga at the Paralympics: Alailupe Valeti in the shot put in 2000 and 2004, and Mounga Okusitino in sprinting in 2008. [1]
| Name | Games | Sport | Event | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alailupe Valeti | 2000 Sydney | Athletics | Women's Discus F12 | 17.90 m | 10th (out of 10) |
| Alailupe Valeti | 2000 Sydney | Athletics | Women's Shot Put F12 | 7.13 m | 7th (out of 7) |
| Alailupe Valeti | 2004 Athens | Athletics | Women's Shot Put F12 | 7.48 m | 10th (out of 11) |
| Mounga Okusitino | 2008 Beijing | Athletics | Men's 100 metres T37 | 14.81 | 6th (out of 6) in heat 1 did not advance |
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics are a periodic series of international multi-sport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 to 29 October. In September 1993, Sydney won the rights to host the 2000 Paralympic Games. To secure this right it was expected that the New South Wales Government would underwrite the budget for the games. The Sydney games were the 11th Summer Paralympic Games, where an estimated 3,800 athletes took part in the programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000. It was followed by the 11 days of fierce international competition and was the second largest sporting event ever held in Australia. They were also the first Paralympic Games outside the Northern Hemisphere.
Tonga competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004.
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.
Several tropical nations have participated in the Winter Olympics despite not having the climate for winter sports. Partly because of that, their entries are a subject of human interest stories during the Games. No tropical nation has ever won a Winter Olympic medal.
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.
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.
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Paralympics since the first games in 1960. Men and women from all disability groups compete in the sport.
Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China.
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 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.
Australia has participated officially in every Summer Paralympics Games since its inauguration in 1960 and in the Winter Paralympics Games since 1980.
Canada has participated eleven times in the Summer Paralympic Games and in all Winter Paralympic Games. They first competed at the Summer Games in 1968 and the Winter Games in 1976.
El Salvador first competed in the Paralympic Games at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. It has participated in the Summer Paralympic Games every four years since that time. El Salvador has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics, and no Salvadorian has ever won a Paralympic medal.
The Philippines made its Paralympic Games debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul and has been fielding athletes up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. Powerlifter Adeline Dumapong won her country's first Paralympic medal when she took the bronze medal in the Up to 82.5 kg event, lifting 110 kg in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games.
East Timor first sent competitors to the Paralympic Games for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney. The country at that time was not yet recognised as a sovereign state, and its athletes participated as "Individual Paralympic Athletes". There were only two: Alcino Pereira in track & field, in the men's 5,000m race ; and Mateus Lukas in men's powerlifting, in the up to 48 kg category. Pereira failed to complete his race, while Lukas lifted 105 kg, finishing 13th and last of the athletes who successfully lifted a weight in his category.
Sharon Margaret Rackham, OAM is an Australian Paralympic athlete.
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.
Tonga participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, which were held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation in London marked its eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included three competitors: two in athletics, Joseph Andy Lui and ʻAna Poʻuhila, along with one short distance swimmer Amini Fonua. The latter entry was Tonga's first appearance in Olympic swimming competition. Lui and Fonua qualified through wildcard places while Po'uhila made the games by meeting qualification standards. Fonua was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony while Lui held it at the closing ceremony. Lui and Fonua failed to progress farther than the preliminary round of their respective events while Po'uhila finished 29th in the heat stage of the women's shot put contest.
Tonga competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
