TONGA –The Tongan government has banned schoolgirls from playing rugby or boxing because the sports are deemed undignified and not in keeping with the island’s traditional culture.

A letter announcing the ban from the Ministry of Education has caused outrage among many Tongans, who say the directive is outdated and sexist.

Dame Valerie Adams, New Zealand’s two-time Olympic shot put champion, whose mother is Tongan, criticised the ban.

“According to this way of thinking, a proud Tongan like myself could not attain the standing I have in this world,” Adams said on Facebook.

“Tongan women must be free to choose their destiny, and not be held back by misguided and stubborn misinterpretation.

“Honouring tradition and following passion need not come into conflict. Rugby, like any sport, ought to be embraced by our Tongan women – we’re good at it – don’t take it away!”

Tongan women’s rights advocate Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki said the ban represented an obsolete view.

“It takes us right back to the thinking that education is only academic and for girls to remain in that kind of academic lane, sports is just the alternative for boys,” Guttenbeil-Likiliki told Radio New Zealand’s Dateline Pacific.

“It is really just taking us back from all the work we have done so far in trying to achieve and bring forward gender equality in Tonga.”

Guttenbeil-Likiliki said culture was being used as an excuse – and history is full of strong, brave Tongan women, including female athletes who have been inspirational in recent times, like New Zealand’s Teuila Fotu-Moala.

“Teuila, who got the female player of the tournament for the women’s rugby league world cup, that story hit Tonga last year and made a lot of people proud.”

Tonga’s women’s sevens coach Hoko Tuivai said she respected traditions and culture – but times were changing.

Tuivai said the ban would mean some girls miss out on the opportunities that rugby and other sports could provide.

“It’s just closing doors, closing all opportunities for women especially leading up to the Pacific Games and Olympics, as we have set our path to work towards the 2020 Olympics and here in Tonga, women’s rugby has a bigger chance to reach those international competitions than men.”

Tuivai said sport could also be a unifying factor as illustrated by last year’s feats by the national rugby league team which triggered parades and street parties across the country.

The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said her country’s aid programme to Tonga was not threatened by the ban, but she disagreed with the gender-based ban.

“As a school student I played touch rugby and I would encourage all the young women to engage in whatever sporting code they are interested in.

On social media, many expressed anger at the ban, which the ministry of education said was necessary to “preserve the dignity of Tongan women and hold on to Tongan cultural values”.

The chief education officer, Manu ‘Akau‘ola, told Dateline Pacific the directive was ordered by the minister, Penisimani Fifita, due to concerns that children had missed too much class time due to Cyclone Gita that hit the island in February.

“So his direction is not because we’re not supportive of the sporting events, it’s just to make up the lost time we’ve lost because of the cyclone,” ‘Akau’ola said. - PNC sources

- UPDATE: Officials in Tonga are discussing a controversial government directive which bans girls playing contact sports like rugby and boxing. The Ministry of Education and Tonga High School have told RNZ Pacific officials and the principal are in meetings to discuss the issue further. The Prime Minister’s office was not commenting, directing enquiries to the Ministry of Education.