Sport in East Timor (Timor Leste)
East Timor is a Southeast Asian country that is one of the least endowed as far as fundings are concerned. This is why there are not a lot of professional sports happening in the country.
However, East Timor have participated in quite a handful of international sporting events. East Timor have sent athletes to the 2003 Southeast Asian Games and the ASEAN Paralympics, where they took home a bronze, both were held in Vietnam. They also won three bronze medals by Fortunato Soares, Francisca Varela and Elisabeth Almeida, who remarkably have never played arnis prior to competing in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games held in the Philippines for the sport of Arnis, the traditional sport of the hosting country.
East Timor was also one of the first few nations to ever compete in the Lusophony Games where they took the bronze for women's volleyball.
In October 2008, East Timor also earned their very first international point for a FIFA match after playing against Cambodia.
Despite all the financial troubles, East Timor was still able to participate in the ultimate sporting event, the Olympic Games. They first sent athletes in the 2004 Athens Olympics and three years later, their nationoal Olympic Committee was formed. They have been participating ever since.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to East Timor. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.
Popular sports of East Timor
East Timor Sporting Success
Great athletes from East Timor
East Timor Sports trivia
- The country's best result at the Olympics was in 2000, when Weightlifter Martinho de Araujo placed 20th in the men's weightlifting competition.
East Timor at major events
Past sporting events hosted in East Timor
Upcoming sporting events in East Timor
Annual sporting events held in East Timor
Sporting Facilities in East Timor
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