Samoa at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Sporting event delegation
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Samoa competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. It was the nation's eleventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympic Games, for four of which it competed under the name Western Samoa.
| Samoa at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
| |
| IOC code | SAM |
| NOC | Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee Inc. |
| Website | www |
| in Paris, France 26 July 2024 – 11 August 2024 | |
| Competitors | 24 (20 men and 4 women) in 9 sports |
| Flag bearers | Don Opeloge & Iuniarra Sipaia |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Boxing | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Canoeing | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Judo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rugby sevens | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Sailing | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Swimming | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Weightlifting | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Wrestling | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 20 | 4 | 24 |
Athletics
Samoan track and field athletes achieved the entry standards for Paris 2024, either by passing the direct qualifying mark (or time for track and road races) or by world ranking, in the following events (a maximum of three athletes each):[1][2]
- Key
- Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
- Q = Qualified for the next round
- q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
- NR = National record
- N/A = Round not applicable for the event
- Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
- Field events
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Position | Distance | Position | ||
| Alex Rose | Men's discus throw | 62.88 | 12 | 61.89 | 12 |
Boxing
Samoa entered one boxer into the Olympic tournament. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali secured one spot in the heavyweight division, following his gold medal win at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
On 26 July, the team's coach, Lionel Elika Fatupaito, died at the Olympic Village.[3]
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali | Men's 92 kg |  Schelstraete (BEL)L 0–5 |
Did not advance | |||
Lionel Elika Fatupaito
Lionel Elika Fatupaito (1964 – July 26, 2024) was a Samoan boxing coach during the Games. He coached Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali.[4][5] Fatupaito died from a cardiac arrest on July 26, 2024,[4][5] hours before the opening ceremony at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was 60.[6]
The International Boxing Association, gave their condolences to his family, friends and his colleagues.[7][8][9] The Oceania National Olympic Committees and the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee also expressed their sadness over Fatupaito's death.[10] Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali said that he was saddened about Fatupaito's death in an Instagram post.[11]
Canoeing
Sprint
Samoan female canoeists qualified two boats for the Games through the result of highest rank eligible nation's, each in the men's K-1 1000 m and women's K-1 500 metres event at the 2024 Oceania Canoe Sprint Qualifier in Penrith, Australia.[12][13]
| Athlete | Event | Heats | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Tuva'a Clifton | Men's K-1 1000 m | 3:54.49 | 6 | 3:55.20 | 28 | Did not advance | |||
| Samalulu Clifton | Women's K-1 500 m | 2:02.12 | 7 | 1:59.64 | 37 | Did not advance | |||
Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)
Judo
Samoa qualified one judoka for the following weight class at the Games. William Tai Tin (men's lightweight, 73 kg) was qualified via continental quota based on Olympic point rankings.
| Athlete | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| William Tai Tin | Men's −73 kg | Bye |  A.T. Mlugu (TAN)L 10-01 |
Did not advance | |||||
Rugby sevens
- Summary
Men's tournament
The Samoa national rugby sevens team qualified for the Olympics by securing the second place at the 2023 Oceania Sevens Championship;[14][15] marking the nation's debut in this sport at the Olympics.
- Team roster
Samoa's squad of 12 players was finalized on 18 July 2024. Additionally, Paul Eti Slater and Malakesi Masefau were named as traveling reserves.[16]
Head coach: Brian Lima
| No. | Player | Date of birth (age) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaovasa Afa Su'a | 11 October 1991 (aged 32) |
| 2 | Alamanda Motuga | 11 September 1994 (aged 29) |
| 3 | BJ Telefoni Lima | 23 July 1999 (aged 25) |
| 4 | Motu Opetai | 20 June 2001 (aged 23) |
| 5 | Tom Maiava | 6 March 1999 (aged 25) |
| 6 | Taunu'u Niulevaea | 21 January 2000 (aged 24) |
| 7 | Lalomilo Lalomilo | 12 February 1999 (aged 25) |
| 8 | Neueli Leitufia | 24 October 2001 (aged 22) |
| 9 | Fa'afoi Falaniko | 14 March 2002 (aged 22) |
| 10 | Paul Scanlan | 9 August 1996 (aged 27) |
| 11 | Steve Onosai | 19 September 2001 (aged 22) |
| 12 | Va'a Apelu Maliko (c) | 10 November 1998 (aged 25) |
- Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 35 | +29 | 9 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 |  Argentina |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 73 | 46 | +27 | 7 | |
| 3 |  Samoa |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 5 | |
| 4 |  Kenya |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 78 | −59 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head result; 3) Point difference; 4) Points scored.
| 24 July 2024 15:30 |
| Australia | 21–14 | Samoa |
| Try: Hutchison (2) 8' c, 14' c Lawson 11' c Con: Roache (3/3) 8', 11', 14' | World Rugby | Try: Opetai 3' c Falaniko 15' c Con: Scanlan (1/1) 3' Maiava (1/1) 15' |
| Stade de France, Paris Attendance: 69,000[17][18] Referee: Jérémy Rozier (France) |
| 24 July 2024 19:30 |
| Argentina | 28–12 | Samoa |
| Try: Osadczuk (2) 2' c, 9' c Graziano 5' c Pellandini 7' c Con: Pellandini (4/4) 2', 6', 8', 9' | World Rugby | Try: Apelu Maliko 11' c Leitufia 14' m Con: Leitufia (1/2) 11' |
| Stade de France, Paris Attendance: 69,000[17][18] Referee: Francisco González (Uruguay) |
| 25 July 2024 14:00 |
| Samoa | 26–0 | Kenya |
| Try: Opetai 3' m Scanlan 8' c Apelu Maliko 14' c Onosai 16' c Con: Falaniko (1/2) 9' Maiava (1/1) 14' Leitufia (1/1) 17' | World Rugby |
| Stade de France, Paris Attendance: 70,000[19] Referee: Reuben Keane (Australia) |
- Ranking of third-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C |  United States |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 67 | −10 | 6 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | A |  South Africa |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 32 | +27 | 5 | |
| 3 | B | Samoa |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 5 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Point difference; 3) Points scored.
- 9–12th place playoff semi-final
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| 25 July 2024 20:00 |
| Samoa | 42–7 |  Japan |
| Try: Scanlan (2) 1' c, 3' c Apelu Maliko 9' c Leitufia 10' c Maiava 12' c Lalomilo 14' c Con: Leitufia (2/2) 1', 4' Scanlan (2/2) 9', 11' Maiava (1/1) 12' Apelu Maliko 15' | World Rugby | Try: Noguchi 8' c Con: Taninaka (1/1) 9' |
| Stade de France, Paris Attendance: 70,000[19] Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy) |
- Ninth place match
| 27 July 2024 17:00 |
| Samoa | 5–10 | Kenya |
| Try: Opetai 11' m | World Rugby | Try: Okeyo (2) 3' m, 8' m |
| Stade de France, Paris Referee: Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji) |
Sailing
Samoa qualified two sailors to compete at the games. Eroni Leilua qualified one boat in the men's ILCA 7 classes through the 2023 Sail Sydney in Sydney, Australia. Later, the nations receiving the allocations of Universality placed in the women's ILCA 6.[20]
- Medal race events
| Athlete | Event | Race | Net points | Final rank | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | M* | ||||
| Eroni Leilua | Men's ILCA 7 | 42 | 41 | 42 | 39 | 39 | 31 | 40 | N/a | N/a | 274 | 42 | |||||||
| Vaimooia Ripley | Women's ILCA 6 | 42 | 41 | 43 | 40 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 43 | N/a | N/a | 325 | 43 | ||||||
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race
Swimming
Samoa sent two swimmers to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Johann Stickland | Men's 100 m freestyle | 52.94 | 66 | Did not advance | |||
| Kaiya Brown | Women's 50 m freestyle | 28.31 | 48 | Did not advance | |||
Weightlifting
For the first time since 2016, Samoa entered two weightlifters into the Olympic competition. Don Opeloge (men's 102 kg) and Iuniarra Sipaia (women's +81 kg) secured one of the top ten slots in their respective weight divisions based on the IWF Olympic Qualification Rankings.
| Athlete | Event | Snatch | Clean & Jerk | Total | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||||
| Don Opeloge | Men's −102 kg | DNF | — | — | — | DNF | |
| Iuniarra Sipaia | Women's +81 kg | 105 | 12 | 141 | 9 | 246 | 11 |
Wrestling
For the first time since 2000, Samoa qualified one wrestler into the Olympic competition. Gaku Akazawa qualified for the games after winning the semifinal round at the 2024 African & Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in Alexandria, Egypt.[21]
Key:
- VT (ranking points: 5–0 or 0–5) – Victory by fall.
- VB (ranking points: 5–0 or 0–5) – Victory by injury (VF for forfeit, VA for withdrawal or disqualification)
- PP (ranking points: 3–1 or 1–3) – Decision by points – the loser with technical points.
- PO (ranking points: 3–0 or 0–3) – Decision by points – the loser without technical points.
- ST (ranking points: 4–0 or 0–4) – Great superiority – the loser without technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
- SP (ranking points: 4–1 or 1–4) – Technical superiority – the loser with technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
- Freestyle
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Gaku Akazawa | Men's −65 kg |  Dudaev (ALB)L 10–0 |
Did not advance | 14 | |||