The New Zealand territory, which has a local population of just 1500, only sent one athlete to the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea and had initially planned to send nobody to the Mini Games in Vanuatu.
But Ilai Elekana Manu, who has won eight Oceania medals representing Tokelau in wrestling, said he had a chance encounter with Pacific Games Council CEO Andrew Minogue at an ONOC (Oceania National Olympic Committees) meeting earlier this year, which motivated him to try and put together a team.
