Formally recognised in 2002, East Timor participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics, but not in the Paralympics that same year. East Timor, as such, made its Paralympic Games début at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, with a single representative (Lily Costa Silva) in powerlifting. Competing in the women's up to 52 kg category, Costa Silva failed to successfully lift a weight, and did not record a mark.