Pacific Paralympians triumph on the world stage

A spectacular fireworks show signalled the close of the 2024 Paris Paralympics, with competitors from 168 nations and the Paralympic Refugee Team dancing in the rain inside the Stade de France at the Closing Ceremony. Among them were athletes and support staff from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, the largest group ever to represent the Pacific at a Paralympic Games.

Before the festivities erupted, the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parsons, spoke to the crowd in praise of the record-breaking achievements of the athletes, organisers, volunteers and fans.

“Through sport, the athletes showed what humanity can achieve when given an opportunity to succeed. We saw strength in difference,” he said. “We all have a collective responsibility to use the momentum of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games to make the world around us more inclusive. What a Paralympic legacy this would be, not just for these athletes, but the world’s 1.3 billion persons with disabilities that they represent.”

National teams, including PNG, represented by their flag bearers in the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 (Image courtesy Australian Olympic Committee, Pacific Olympic and Paralympic Partnership Project).

The Pacific Honour Roll

Over the past two weeks, 13 athletes from six Pacific nations met the challenge of international competition with passion and power, putting in their best performances against the finest para-athletes from around the globe.

• Elie Enock from Vanuatu made it through to the finals of the Women's F57 Shot Put, throwing a season’s best 7.27 metres to the delight of supporters in the stadium and around the world.
• Meleane Falemaka of Tonga had the distinction of being the very last of the Pacific athletes to compete, appearing in the final of the Women’s F38 Discus event and throwing a personal best of 16.71m.
• James Gegeu, who had the honour of carrying the flag for the Solomon Islands in the Opening Ceremony, competed in the Round of 16 for his K44 +80kg Para-Taekwondo event.
• Solomon Jagiri, also from the Solomon Islands, competed in the Men’s K44 - 63kg Para-Taekwondo, achieving his Paralympic goal after the disappointment of being unable to travel to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
• Ken Kahu represented Vanuatu in the final of the Men’s F64 Javelin, achieving a personal best throw in his Paralympic debut, having earlier been a flag bearer for his country in the Opening Ceremony.
• Herea Loi carried the flag for PNG in the Opening Ceremony, and just two days later appeared in the historic Grand Palais as a competitor in the Men’s K44 - 70kg Para-Taekwondo.
• Cosmol Maefolia, another member of the Solomon Islands team, competed in the F38 Javelin and achieved a memorable personal best for the season.
• Irene Mar from Fiji earned a solid win in the first round of the Women’s K44 - 57kg Para-Taekwondo and went on to compete in the quarter final and repechage rounds.
• Selina Seau, who previously represented Fiji in Para-Badminton, took part in the Women’s F64 Shot Put in Paris, achieving a personal best in the final.
• Manega Tapari, who was also a flag bearer for PNG in the Opening Ceremony, competed in the Women’s K44 +65kg Para-Taekwondo, winning her opening game, and proceeding to the next round of competition.
• Ongiou Timeon, the sole competitor from Kiribati and his nation’s first ever representative at a Paralympic Games, took part in the final of the Men’s F11 Shot Put.
• Junita Tonowane also represented the Solomon Islands in Para-Taekwondo, competing in the Women’s K44 - 52kg event after carrying her nation’s flag in the Opening Ceremony.
• Naibili Vatunisolo from the Fijian team took part in the final of the Women’s F64 Shot Put and put her stamp on the event, clinching an all-new Oceanic record with a throw of 9.19m.

The Stade de France is colored in blue, white and red during the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 at the Stade de France (Image courtesy Australian Olympic Committee, Pacific Olympic and Paralympic Partnership Project).
 

After an extraordinary two weeks, the Paralympians of the Pacific are now making their way home to families, fans and supporters in their home nations. The experiences and learnings of the Paris Games will no doubt be the starting point of a new journey for many – with the Los Angeles Paralympics now just four short years away.

For more on the extraordinary achievements of the Pacific competitors at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, check out the Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC) Facebook page and explore the video highlights on the Paralympics YouTube channel.