PNG’s Wushu Athlete Returns With First Medal

Tony Mitu Jnr arrived in Port Moresby on Monday, May 25th, after making history for the sport of Wushu in Papua New Guinea and finishing with a Bronze Medal in the Men’s 70kg Sanda competition in Brisbane, Australia.

The event was held during the Oceania International Invitational Wushu Championships, which was hosted from May 21st to 25th, 2026. 

The Kung Fu Wushu Association of Papua New Guinea (KFWA PNG) is extremely proud of this achievement and congratulates Tony on his success.

“This was his first international event, and also his first Sanda competition, and he came away with a medal, so we are really proud of him,” said President of KFWA PNG, Geoff Hui.

Tony’s coach, Andrew Molen, was a very happy man when he turned up at Jackson’s International Airport to welcome the lone fighter home.

“Tony worked hard for over a year in training. We didn’t expect anything; we just wanted him to have the exposure and experience and use that to promote and build the sport in PNG. But we now have a medal, so it’s a big motivation for us, and I am very pleased,” said Molen.

The team had no sponsors or funding, but relied on their personal resources to prepare and attend the championships. 

Molen said they also had support in kind from friends, colleagues, and family members, which contributed to this significant outcome.

He also acknowledged the Oceania Kung Fu Wushu Federation and Kung Fu Wushu Australia for the opportunity to participate, while extending his appreciation to the High-Performance Sports PNG for the specialist support to Tony.

KFWA PNG is looking forward to recruiting and developing more athletes to represent PNG in the future. The association is appealing to the corporate sector and the government to partner with them on their programmes.

The association also thanked everyone who followed their journey to the championships over the weekend and looks forward to everyone's continued support for their teams and the athletes in the future.