NUKU'ALOFA: Tonga's government has banned girls from participating in rugby and boxing, drawing criticism from two-time Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams and New Zealand's proudly feminist Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The government edict came to light last week when a team of girls from Tonga High School were pulled from a touch rugby tournament because of their gender. A letter from the Pacific nation's education department said the ban was to "preserve the dignity of Tongan women and hold on to Tongan cultural values", according to a translation published by the Matangi Tonga news website. Adams, who was born in New Zealand but is fiercely proud of her Tongan heritage, described the move as "misguided and stubborn misinterpretation of the Pacific island nation´s culture. "According to this way of thinking, a proud Tongan like myself, could not attain the standing I have in this world," she posted on Facebook. "Tongan women ...
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