 Some 14 years after becoming a sovereign nation in both foreign and domestic affairs , Tonga submitted its first delegation to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles , California , its largest Olympic team ever as of the Beijing Olympics . The first female Tongan athlete participated in the Olympics at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul , South Korea . Between 1984 and 2008 , Tongan athletes have participated at all of the seven summer Olympics . From 1988 to 2008 , however , there had not been a Tongan Olympic team greater than five athletes in size . There had been a single Tongan medalist during this time period : <unk> <unk> won a silver medal in boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , Georgia . 
