
[Source: Malolo Swimming Club/ Facebook]
The Malolo Swimming Club from Tonga is taking a big step toward building a competitive team for the 2031 Pacific Games.
With no swimming pools back home, six young Tongan swimmers arrived in Fiji on Friday to train in proper facilities and compete in the first leg of the Fiji Swimming Series.
Led by coach Siutaisa Toumoua, the team has been training in the open ocean back in their country, which presents a completely different challenge compared to swimming in a pool.
“We don’t have swimming pools back in Tonga so the kids train at the ocean. The experience is very much different from Fiji as the ocean has rough seas and pool water is calmer. It is a very good experience for them to come and compete here in Fiji as Fiji has better facilities.”
[Source: Malolo Swimming Club/ Facebook]
The team’s trip was made possible through funding from TASNOC, which supported their travel and training.
With Tonga set to host the 2031 Pacific Games, Toumoua hopes their country will soon have the proper facilities to support their swimmers’ development.
The Tongan team is scheduled to return home on Monday but will be back in Fiji on March 1 for the second leg of the tournament.