Tongan athletes working to qualify for five Olympic sports [1]
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - 12:34. Updated on Friday, May 2, 2014 - 15:27.
Tonga remains optimistic that its athletes will enter five events, Athletics, Archery, Boxing, Swimming and Weightlifting, at the London Olympic during July and August this year.
The General Secretary of the Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee, Takitoa Taumoepeau, in a Press Statement on January 12 stated that with 29 weeks to go before the opening Ceremony of the XXX Olympic Games in London, on July 27, but he was confident that Tongan athletes would qualify to compete in the Olympics in five events.
He stated that star athlete 'Ana Po'uhila Kisina was training hard in New Zealand, and Tongan New Zealand-based boxers were camping and training with Lolo Heimuli for the qualifying championship in March in Canberra. "Our swimmer 'Amini is training in USA, while swimmer 'Ifa is preparing in Australia."
Taekwondo failed to qualify for the Olympic last year but they were trying to get a place through Tripartite Application (Wild Card).
Takitoa was also very thankful to the President of the International Olympic Committee, President Jacques Rogge, who visited Tonga last year with his wife and pledged USD$25,000 for the preparation of athletes to qualify for the London Olympic.
Takitoa was convinced that qualification could be achieved by working together with the national sports federations, the athletes, their families, their coaches "and give them the best support we can."
Ella Mawdsley, the Capacity Support Officer with the Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee said that the qualification process would continue until the very last minute.