Taekowndo Tournament at Samoa Games 2023
KLAS PRESS RELEASE; With a few days left till Competition Day, athletes from Samoa are ready to take the mat. A team of 16 traveling athletes from Samoa and 1 New Zealand based athlete making up the 17 athletes representing Tuiaopo Investments KLAS Taekwondo Club at the NZ Nationals.
The 2023 Kukkiwon Cup – Taekwondo New Zealand National Championships is this weekend, the 19th & 20th August. This event will be taking place at the Barfoot & Thompson Stadium in Auckland.
A significant achievement for KLAS Taekwondo Club, as we prepare for the Sol2023 XVII Pacific Games in November. Athletes’ ages range from 6-years-old to 29-years-old all covering different grades and weight classes.
It is a great opportunity for our young athletes to gain experience on an international level but also be able to compete against students outside of our own club, as the sole active Taekwondo Club in Samoa.
According to the Head Coach, Samoan Olympian, Pacific Games Gold Medallist and Oceania Gold Medalist Leuluaitumua Tapunuu Kaino Thomsen-Fuataga, this is by far the largest number they have taken to compete in at an international tournament.
“We have come many miles to compete in the New Zealand Nationals to give our students an opportunity to experience what it’s like to fight internationally, but also creating that perspective that there is a whole world out here. Lots of different skills and techniques which our students will be exposed to, they can bring that back home to help hone their craft” Tapunuu said.
The Tuiaopo KLAS Taekwondo Club traveling athletes and Coach and Management. – Preparing for departure for New Zealand.
Samoa is one of only 2 Pacific Islands that will be competing this weekend alongside our sister island nation Tonga. We also have our own Tongan student, Luisa Fuilvai representing Tuiaopo KLAS Taekwondo Club who will be competing this weekend.
For a developing island nation like Samoa with less benefits and support for a small sporting body like taekwondo, this trip was made possible with the support of sponsors, and donations through friends and family.
“Nothing comes easy in life, there are always sacrifices to be made to get to where we need to be. I would like to acknowledge the support of our sponsors, friends and families for coming through when we really needed help.”
He added. “It means so much more when you leave home and come to a foreign country knowing the full support was given by our own people. The support and love poured into the kids has been surreal so Praise God.”
Ryan Eteuati, a true blue proud Samoan competing this weekend shares.

“Although near or far, once a Samoan always a Samoa. Each one of us competing has more than one village. And we are all those villages and we are representing them and everyone else in Samoa,” he said.
Ryan is the son of Fuimaono and Teuila Eteuati and he is super excited to be competing alongside his younger brother Sebastian in the Kukkiwon Cup for the first time ever.