By Eleanor Gee

A team of eight taekwondo practitioners, six males and two females, are training hard to cement their spot to represent Tonga for the very first time at the Pacific Games held in Samoa in July.

Head Coach, Master Paula Sitapa told Matangi Tonga that the team is currently training six days a week and resting on Sundays for recovery.

“We also take part in the Tonga Sports Council training program, which is run at Teufaiva Stadium every morning from Monday to Friday.”

“And in the evening time, we do our own training which includes a lot of kicking, techniques training skills, and sparing.

He said because taekwondo is a contact sport, the athletes need to do a lot of conditioning and a lot of sparing.

“As a coach, whatever level they achieve, I expect more. But right now, because they have never been to the Pacific Games before, they are doing quite good and they have improved their fitness, their skills, and techniques. I hope they will perform well.”

As part of training for the games, the team will travel to Brisbane, Australia, in June to take part in a taekwondo competition and a training camp.

“Based on that, we may or may not cut down the team to a smaller number.”

“But what I’m doing now is focusing on taking these eight to Samoa because they all compete in different weight groups and I hope that they will all go to Samoa.”

The eight athletes were selected out of 20 taekwondo practitioners listed after the Pacific Games trials were held in Tongatapu. Paula said the athletes were picked according to criteria such as passion, drive, skills, techniques, and experience in international competitions.

Pita Taufatofua

The team also have the support of Pita Taufatofua, Tonga’s famous flagbearer and athlete at the Rio and PyeongChang Olympics, who will help the team in Brisbane and at the games in Samoa.

“Pita is pretty much involved with taekwondo right now. He will help take the squad to Australia and he is also helping to organize the training camp and helping with the training,” said Paula.

He said Pita has become such an inspiration for not only taekwondo athletes but everyone representing Tonga at the games.

“And I think for all the sports athletes in Tonga, when they see Pita’s journey, it encourages them and gives them extra energy.”

Master Paula Sitapa represented Tonga in taekwondo at the Pacific Games in 2003 and 2007 and this is his first time going to the games as a coach.

Taekwondo was initiated in Tonga around 24 years ago by Master Baik Yoon Pil, who is from Korea. Master Pil manages Tonga’s national taekwondo team.

Taekwondo team:

• Tekiteki Ngahe
• Luke Uhi
• Sione Tufi
• Viliami Moala
• Moala Takelo
• Vi Vaiangina
• Malia Paseka
• Lile Loumoli
• Pita Taufatofua

• Manager: Baik Yoon Pil
• Head Coach: Paula Sitapa
• Coach: Melekiola Soane Tauliku Jr