Upon hearing the words “Tonga” and “athlete,” the first thing that most likely comes to mind is an image of Olympian Pita Nikolas Taufatofua in all his oily, muscular glory. Taufatofua competed in taekwondo.
But the Pacific nation is better known for another sport, rugby, for which it has an undying love.
So Tongans and rugby fans around the world were outraged when it was revealed recently that the country’s Ministry of Education and Training was apparently imposing a ban on females participating in rugby — as well as boxing — in public schools.
The ban was even more perplexing in light of the fact that the country has had a national women’s rugby sevens team since 2006, their head coach, Fehoko Tu’ivai, told The Washington Post in an email Wednesday.