Not here to play games! Pacific Paralympians arrive in Paris

The Pacific region has sent its largest ever team to the Paralympic Games, with 13 athletes from six nations arriving in Paris to compete across 12 sports.

The size and strength of the qualifying group is evidence of the rise of Pacific sport at the international level, as the Hon Pat Conroy MP, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, observed this week.

“To have the largest team of Pacific athletes competing at a Paralympic Games is a fantastic result and a reflection of the depth of sporting talent throughout the region,” he said. “We wish them the best of luck and look forward to celebrating their achievements as a Pacific family.” 

Celebrating a team effort

The 13 athletes, representing Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, are part of a group of 40 Paralympic hopefuls to receive support from the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports, in partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC).

“We are extremely grateful for the Australian Government's support of our Pacific Paralympians through the PacificAus Sports program,” said President of the Oceania Paralympic Committee, Paul Bird. “This is vital for the preparation, training and importantly the opportunity to be classified and qualify for the Games. Our Pacific Paralympians are looking forward to representing the region at Paris 2024.”

A debut for Kiribati

The excitement of qualification is two-fold for Ongiou Timeon who will not only represent Kiribati in the men’s shot put event, but will do so as the nation’s first-ever Paralympic Games competitor. The feat is all the more remarkable given the 35-year-old only took up athletics five years ago. When he is not training or competing, Timeon works with young people in the Te Toa Matoa community, and travels across Kiribati, from island to island, delivering workshops on human rights.

Taekwondo takes off

Taekwondo dominates the schedule for the first few days of the Games, with Junita Tonowane, Solomon Jagiri and James Gegeu from the Solomon Islands, Herea Loi and Manega Tapari from PNG, and Irene Mar from Fiji set to participate in the opening rounds of competition.

Competing in the iconic Grand Palais, originally built for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900, will be especially significant for Jagiri. He was one of two athletes from the Solomon Islands’ Taekwondo team to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics, but was ultimately unable to attend due to pandemic travel restrictions, making this his Paralympic debut.

PNG’s Tapari earned her place in the team by winning gold in the women’s 65kg+ in the Oceania Taekwondo Olympic Qualifications in April, having previously represented her country in badminton and athletics.

“It is very emotional trying to represent PNG again in another sport as a para-athlete, trying to break barriers,” she told The National. “I am grateful for the support I have received on my journey so far, from my family, friends and all my mentors.”

It was only last year that Tapari was recruited into the Taekwondo team by PNG’s national coach, Edward Kassman. Kassman has spoken with great enthusiasm about the introduction of para-athletes into the sport, and the opportunity for the Oceanic region to feature prominently in Paralympic medal tallies in the years ahead. It’s a sentiment shared by Denzil Ray of the Oceania Taekwondo Union.

“The Oceania Taekwondo Union is really proud to see para-athletes from our region qualify for the Paris Paralympics,” he said. “We are committed to developing more para-athletes in our region.”

To keep up to date with competition events and results, follow the OPC on Facebook, or visit the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games website.