page_title: Togo at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
section_title: Powerlifting
hierarchical_section_title: Togo at the 2016 Summer Paralympics / Powerlifting
caption_attribution_description: English: The powerlifter from Togo, Aliou Bawa. He is Togo's only representative at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
context_page_description: Togo competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics nine times since the 1972 Games. The delegation consisted of a single lightweight powerlifter, Aliou Bawa, who qualified by being issued with a Bipartite Commission Invitation spot by the International Paralympic Committee. Bawa was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Bawa failed to record a mark in the men's 49 kg category after being unable to lift 113 kilograms of weight in his three attempts.
context_section_description: Aliou Bawa, rendered disabled as a consequence of contracting polio as an infant, was the first Togolese Paralympic athlete to compete at the quadrennial event and was 32 years old at the time of the Games. He qualified for the games through the International Paralympic Committee who issued him a Bipartite Commission Invitation spot for the men's 49 kg powerlifting category after bettering his personal record from the 2015 African Games the month prior to the Rio Paralympics. Bawa intensively trained at a fitness centre in the Togolese capital city of Lomé by receiving a grant from the local sporting authorities and later Pavilion 5 at Riocentro to prepare for the Games. He spoke of his belief that he would win a medal at the Rio Paralympics. In Pavillon 2 at Riocentro on 8 September, Bawa performed poorly and was unable to lift 113 kilograms in his three attempts, leaving him without a recorded mark. Despite Bawa's poor result, he stated that he was aware of how difficult it was and spoke of his desire to commence his training for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, while a Togolese sports observer wrote, "It's already our victory, because no one even the biggest and serious predictions had predicted it." Bawa's performance also revived debate over funding for Togolese para-athletes.
caption: Aliou Bawa, Togo's powerlifter for the Rio Paralympics.
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