Results for Tongan athletes

Tributes are flowing in for Tongan-born Sione Lauaki who tragically passed away on Saturday from kidney failure. His former club, The Waikato Chiefs, stated on Twitter "Rest in peace Sione, always a Chief...our thoughts and prayers are with Sione’s family and friends and with the entire Chiefs whanau as today we have lost a brother."

Baltimore Ravens star Ronnie Stanley (of Tongan Descent) is encouraging Baltimore residents to adopt homeless canines from dog shelters. Ronnie himself adopted a homeless Pitt Bull named "Lola" last year.

The inaugural Polynesian Bowl will kick off this Saturday, January 21 at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. The 2017 Polynesian Bowl will feature two teams made up of elite football players of Pacific Islander heritage from high schools around the United States.

The NRL has announced that Mate Ma'a Tonga front-rower Andrew Fifita, who currently plays for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, was issued a breach of notice with five days to respond. The notice comes after months of controversy surrounding Andrew Fifita's public support for a friend currently serving a 10-year jail sentence for manslaughter. Local reports state that Fifita is likely to receive a fine rather than a suspension.

Uaine Fa Jnr. (aka Junior Fa) remembers defeating New Zealand’s champion fighter Joseph Parker back in 2012, in a qualifying amateur boxing competition for the London Olympics. Four years since that encounter, Fa is confident he can beat Parker again as a professional. In the meantime, this Saturday, Fa has an undercard bout at the Parker-Ruiz WBO heavyweight title event at the Vector Arena, Auckland. Interview by Finau Fonua.

The ‘Ikale Tahi have won their first European test match, defeating Spain 28 – 13. The determined Spaniards gave the boys a run for their money, and were leading 3 – 0 in the 30th minute of the match. The ‘Ikale Tahi scored four converted tries in the form of Dan Faleafa, Fetu’u Vainikolo, Sonatane Takulua and Kali Hala. All tries were successfully converted by Sona Takulua.

Taione Vea has announced his retirement from professional rugby two months after suffering a spinal injury during a rugby match. The 27-year-old Prop who plays for the Newcastle Falcons in the English Aviva Premiership said, “I was left paralyzed for five or six minutes on the field, where I couldn’t feel my whole body. That is enough for anybody in a lifetime, and the risk of that happening again if I was to return to playing is quite high.”

Former Mate Ma’a Tonga centre Solomone Kata will debut for New Zealand this Saturday October 15 against Australia in Perth. The Vava’u born 23-year-old was the top try scorer for his NRL team the New Zealand Warriors this year, scoring 15 tries in 21 games in the 2016 NRL season. He was announced as part of the Kiwis squad last week.

Kasete Naufahu Skeen’s dream of becoming the first Tongan alpine skier in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang is now his goal, after he recently quit his full time job to focus solely on skiing. He has launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover his training and estimates his Olympic campaign will cost at least £50,000.