Sport in Tuvalu

See also: List of Tuvaluan records in athletics
The flag bearer of Tuvalu, Etimoni Timuani (sprinter), at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Sport is an important part of Tuvaluan culture, which sporting culture is based on traditional games and athletic activities and the adoption of some of the major international sports of the modern era.

Girls Playing volleyball on Funafuti airport
Men playing volleyball on Funafuti airport
Young Tuvaluans playing rugby on the Funafuti airstrip

The popular sports in Tuvalu include association football, futsal, volleyball, handball, Badminton, Table tennis, Lawn Tennis, basketball and rugby union. Tuvalu has sports organisations to support local competitions and the participation of Tuvalu in international competitions, including the Tuvalu Tennis Association, Tuvalu Table Tennis Association, Tuvalu National Badminton Association, Tuvalu National Football Association, Tuvalu Basketball Federation, Tuvalu Rugby Union, Tuvalu Weightlifting Federation and Tuvalu Powerlifting Federation.

Since 1979 Tuvalu has participated in the Pacific Games and the Pacific Mini Games. Tuvalu first participated in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, at the Olympic Games in 2008, and at the World Championships in Athletics in 2009. The Tuvalu Athletics Association is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the Tuvalu,[1][2] and administers Tuvaluan records in athletics.

Asenate Manoa represented Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics, at the 2009 World Championships & 2011 World Championships and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the woman's 100 metres sprint. Manoa represented Tuvalu in the sport of powerlifting at the Pacific Games 2015 and won a bronze medal in the 72 kg Female category.[3] She also participated in the women's long jump event at the 2017 Pacific Mini Games.[4] She was the first woman to represent Tuvalu at the Olympics.[5]

As Tuvalu is an archipelago of 9 islands, there are logistic complications in arranging sporting events on Funafuti, which is the capitol of Tuvalu. A major sporting event is the "Independence Day Sports Festival" held annually on Funafuti on 1 October. The most important sports event within the country is arguably the Tuvalu Games, which are held yearly since 2008 in April, when participants from each island travel on the inter-island passenger ship to Funafuti to participate in track and field events, table tennis, badminton and other games.[6]

Funafuti has the largest population of all the islands of Tuvalu, which includes large communities who have migrated from the outer islands. The football clubs in the Tuvalu A-Division all share the same home ground - Tuvalu Sports Ground – as it is the only football field in Tuvalu. The football clubs are based on the communities of the 8 major islands of Tuvalu, with the rivalry between these 8 teams being maintained by each having a ‘home’ island. The football teams also provide an opportunity for talent in other sports to be identified, such as sprinters who are sent to represent Tuvalu in the 100 metres sprint events.

The limited land available for sports facilities results in a limited number of sports available in which to participate, which are sports that can be organised on available open space or indoor venues, such as table tennis, badminton, weightlifting and powerlifting.

Due to the limited open space on Funafuti, the runway of Funafuti International Airport is used as a common area for social games and sports activities, when not in use.[7]

  1. ^ Tuvalu Athletics Association, IAAF, retrieved January 28, 2014
  2. ^ TUVALU ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION, Oceania Athletics Association, retrieved January 28, 2014
  3. ^ "Powerlifting 72kg Female". Pacific Games 2015. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Results - Monday: Pacific Mini-Games 11/12/17 to 14/12/17" (PDF). OAA. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  5. ^ "First female competitors at the Olympics by country". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  6. ^ "The Final Day of the Tuvalu Games 2010". Te Fale o Hamoa. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  7. ^ "A plane landing at Tuvalu's tiny airport in Funafuti in 2013". PT&I Video Hosting. 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 1 January 2015.