Sport in East Timor
East Timor is a new country, and as one of the world's poorest countries, with lack of money and investments, sport activities are very few and very limited at the professional level.
International sports associations
East Timor has joined many international sport associations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC board has granted full recognition to the East Timorese Olympic Committee (COTL). The IOC had allowed a mainly symbolic four-member team to take part in the 2000 Sydney Games under the Olympic flag as "Independent Olympic Athletes."[1] The Federaçao Timor-Leste de Atletismo had joined the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The Federaçao de Badminton de Timor-Leste had joined the International Badminton Federation (IBF) in April 2003. The East Timor Cycling Federation had joined the Union Cycliste Internationale. Confederacao do Desporto de Timor Leste also joined the International Weightlifting Federation. East Timor is also a full member of the International Table-Tennis Federation (ITTF). In September 2005, East Timor's national football team joined FIFA.
Participation in international events
East Timor has taken part in several sporting events. Although the athletes came back with no medals, East Timorese athletes had the opportunity to compete with other Southeast Asian athletes in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games held in Vietnam in 2003. In the 2003 ASEAN Paralympics Games, also held in Vietnam, East Timor won a bronze medal. In the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, six athletes participated in three sports: athletics, weightlifting and boxing). East Timor won three medals in Arnis at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. East Timor was also one of the competing nations in the first Lusophony Games, winning a bronze medal in the women's volleyball competition (finishing third out of three teams); despite the fact the team had lost all its three games. On 30 October 2008, East Timor earned their first international points in a FIFA match with a 2-2 draw against Cambodia.[2]
