 Zita Martel in 2011. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 15 July 1961 [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Samoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Archery | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Vaimasenu'u Zita Sefo-Martel (born 15 July 1961) is a Samoan women's rights activist, fautasi skipper, [2] [3] [4] and archer who has represented Samoa at the Pacific Games. She is also an honorary consul of France. [5]
Martel attended Canterbury University, where she had been a rower. [6]
In 2000, her local church needed a skipper for their longboat, or fautasi. [7] At first she refused the request, but was eventually persuaded to give it a try. [7] When she became the skipper for her church, she also became the first woman to act as captain in the fautasi races in 2001. [2] [8] Her boat won the race at Samoa's 50th independence celebrations in 2012. [9] In 2020 her crew won the Faleula to Apia fautasi race. [10]
She represented Samoa in archery at the 2007 Pacific Games in Apia, winning silver (alongside Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi and Eddie Chan Pao) in the mixed recurve matchplay [11] and in the individual compound. [12] At the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa she won gold in the compound matchplay [13] and bronze in the compound individual. [14]
Martel also speaks out against domestic violence in Samoa. [8] [15]
In 2013 Martel was made an officer of the French National Order of Merit. [8] [16]
Apia is the capital and only city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (itūmālō) of Tuamasaga.
The World Archery Federation is the governing body of the sport of archery. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is composed of 156 national federations and other archery associations, and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
SusugaTuilaʻepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Saʻilele Malielegaoi is a Samoan politician and economist who served as the sixth prime minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021. Tuilaʻepa is Samoa's longest serving prime minister and was leader of the opposition from 2021 to 2022. Since 1998, he has led the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP). Tuilaʻepa first entered parliament in 1981 when he won a by-election to represent the electorate of Lepā. He also served as deputy prime minister and minister of finance in the government of Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana, and also held the portfolios of Tourism and Trade, Commerce & Industry.
AfiogaFiamē Naomi Mataʻafa is a Samoan politician and High Chiefess (matai) who has served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa and leader of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party since 2021.
The Pacific Games, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2023 in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The Games were called the South Pacific Games from 1963 to 2007. The Pacific Games Council (PGC) organises the Games and oversees the host city's preparations. Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams. In each sporting event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals are awarded for second place, and bronze medals are awarded for third place.
The 2007 South Pacific Games were held in Apia, Samoa, from 25 August to 8 September 2007. The Games were the thirteenth to be held since the inception of the South Pacific Games in 1963, and included traditional multi-sport event disciplines, such as athletics and swimming, alongside region-specific and smaller events such as outrigger canoeing, surfing and lawn bowls.
Mua'ausa Joseph Siegfried Walter is Samoan archer. He was the first Samoan to compete in archery at the Olympic Games, and has also represented Samoa at the Commonwealth Games and Pacific Games. He is the father of Samoan archer Jil Walter. He is president of the Samoa Archery Federation.
General elections were held in Samoa on 4 March 2011, to determine the composition of the 15th Parliament. Two parties contested the election, the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), which had been in power for most of the time since 1982, led by Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi and the newly founded Tautua Samoa Party (TSP) led by Vaʻai Papu Vailupe, which several minor parties had merged into. The election occurred following amendments to the electoral act in 2009, including the introduction of the Monotoga law, a requirement for aspiring candidates to dedicate traditional village service and commitments. As a result, three TSP aspiring candidates, including a challenger for the prime minister's seat, were disqualified by the Supreme Court for failing to satisfy this law.
Archery at the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia was held on 6–9 September 2019.
Steffi Faasusivaitele Hearthington Carruthers is a Samoan former tennis player. She is the first Samoan woman to play professional tennis and the first Pacific Oceanian player to win a professional tournament.
The 2017 Pacific Mini Games were held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in December 2017. It was the tenth edition of the Pacific Mini Games, and the second to be hosted in Vanuatu.
Archery at the Pacific Games was first contested at the 1971 games at Papeete. Archery was made a core sport in 2021, and is thus required to be included at every subsequent edition of the Pacific Games. It has also been included in the Pacific Mini Games, firstly at Norfolk Island in 2001 and then Port Vila in 2017.
A fautasi is a Samoan boat, similar to a longboat. Fautasi boats are around 100 feet in length and can accommodate a rowing crew of 50. A coxwain uses a drum to beat a tempo to coordinate the rowing. Each fautasi also has a captain. The meaning of fautasi is "to build as one," which reflects the need for teamwork in using the boats. Prior to the use of modern-day ferries, fautasi were the main mode of transport between Upolu and Savai'i.
Archery at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa was held on 8–12 July 2019. The tournament was played on the outdoor target archery range at the Faleata Sports Complex in Tuanaimato, and included both recurve and compound bow events. Medals were awarded in men's and women's individual contests as well as for mixed team competitions.
Jil Grete Walter is a Samoan archer who has represented Samoa at the Pacific Games and Youth Olympic Games. She is the daughter of Samoan archer Mua'ausa Walter.
Naifoua Vise Timai is a Samoan archer who has represented Samoa at the Pacific Games.
Leotina Sivelio Petelo is a Samoan weightlifter who has represented Samoa at the Pacific Games.
Nu'uuli Mose Livai is a Samoan boxer who has represented Samoa in the Pacific Games and Pacific Mini Games.
