Tonga competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
History
Tonga went into the Paralympic Games with never having won a Paralympic medal in their history of participating in the Games. At the previous Games in London, the country only sent one sportsperson.[1][2]
Disability classifications
Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[3][4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.[5]
Athletics
Men's field
These Paralympics were Sione Manu's first. He participated in the Javelin F46 event. Manu had his left arm amputated above the elbow after an accident.[6]
| Athlete | Events | Result | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sione Manu | Javelin F46 | 35.62 | 12 |
Women's field
Ana Talakai was the opening ceremonies flag bearer for Tonga.[7][8] Sione Manu was her sighted guide for the opening ceremony.
| Athlete | Events | Result | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ana Talakai | Shot Put F11-12 | 7.44 | 12 |
Broadcasting
No broadcaster had the rights to the Games in Tonga. The Games were available via live streaming on the International Paralympic Committee website.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Tonga Paralympics - Rio 2016 Medals, Athletes & News". International Paralympic Committee. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ "Two Tongan athletes at Rio Paralympics". Matangi Tonga Online. September 5, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- ^ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ "Manu Sione Biographical Information". Paralympic.org. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Ana Talakai Biographical Information". Paralympic.org. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Full list of flag bearers for opening ceremony of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games". Rio2016.com. International Paralympic Committee. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2024, at 08:18