New Zealand is sending a team of 211 athletes to the Tokyo Olympic Games. It is New Zealand’s largest ever Olympic team.
The team includes 101 females and 110 males with athletes set to compete across 22 sports. New Zealand is also competing in the new Olympic sports of karate and surfing. There are 33 athletes that are of Māori descent.
The youngest athlete in the team is 17-year-old swimmer Erika Fairweather who is in her final year of High School at Dunedin’s Kavanagh College. The oldest is equestrian jumping athlete Bruce Goodin who is 51.
For the first time ever, both a male and female athlete will carry the flag for New Zealand at the Opening Ceremony. Black Ferns Sevens Captain Sarah Hirini and two-time Olympic champion Hamish Bond will have the honour of leading the team into the Olympic stadium.
Auckland has produced the largest percentage of the Tokyo Olympians with 52 of the team hailing from the region. The Bay of Plenty comes in second with 25 athletes, and Canterbury third with 23.
118 of the athletes will be first time Olympians, while the other 93 have already been to one or more Games.
Dame Valerie Adams will create history, becoming the second ever New Zealand female to attend five Olympic Games.
8 Responses
that is so awsome i love how the contries in the olympics like to represent
i like how There is lots of different countries to compete and There are an equal amount of girls and boy
this years Swimming was Kind of good Because When Lewis clarburt swam for glory it was so exciting but when it was the final round he couldn’t get there.
Awesome!
I think its very cool how there sending 211 athletes to the olympics
this is so cool that the youngest is 17 and the oldest 51 and how the send 211 people to Tokyo
SO COOL!!!
is so good i like olympics