Tongan team leaves for SP Mini Games [1]
Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 09:45. Updated on Friday, June 13, 2014 - 18:49.
Tonga's first group of 40 athletes for the 8th South Pacific Games left for the Cook Islands on September 17.
Tonga will be competing in nine sports at the 8th South Pacific Games: athletics, boxing, tennis, table tennis, rugby league, rugby union, triathlon, weightlifting and netball.
The first group to leave this week included an athletics team, netball team, table tennis and tennis team, with the Chief de Mission 'Amanaki Fakakovikaetau and the Administrator Hiko Fungavaka.
The second group of mainly of rugby players and triathletes will depart Tonga next week, September 24 and the last group of the Tongan contingent will depart for the Cooks on September 28.
Tonga will be competing in nine sports at the 8th South Pacific Games: athletics, boxing, tennis, table tennis, rugby league, rugby union, triathlon, weightlifting and netball.
Initially there were 80 competitors listed to compete but due to financial constraints the team was cut down to 64. The Tonga Parliament this week approved $150,000 pa'anga together with $50,000 from the Ministry of Sports to help finance the team's airfares.
The Chief de Mission confirmed that sports teams and TASANOC would meet the remaining costs for accommodation, meals and per diems.
Prior to the departure of the first group of Tongan athletes to the Cooks, the Tonga 8th South Pacific Mini Game Contingent met the Princess Regent HRH Pilolevu Tuita at Polata'ane yesterday afternoon.
The South Pacific Games will be held in Rarotonga from September 24 to October 1, attracting over 1,000 competitors from around the region.