Photos by Pesi Fonua

Tonga’s 2019 Inter-College Athlete Competition opened with a vibrant start this morning at the Teufaiva Stadium, where hundreds of young athletes were eager to get out onto the track, after a long Easter weekend holiday.

Day 1 of the three-day competition saw a few rain clouds passing over, but the sun continued to shine through and energized the spirit of the event.

Prince Kalaniuvalu was the guest of honour at this year’s 94^th Inter-College Athletics Competition at the upgraded Teufaiva Stadium, which has new racing tracks, green playing grounds, and a new roof on the stadium.

Sateki ‘Ahio, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Sports told the gathering that there was still a lot of work to be done, and they have an on going development program, from 2019 to 2029.

Participating in this years competition are athletes from Middle and High Schools, from Ha’apai, ‘Eua and Tongatapu.

In previous years, athletes from schools in Vava’u used to participate, but now they have developed their own inter-college athletics competition as it becomes more difficult to make the long journey by sea, from Vava’u to Tongatapu.