Rita Fatialofa-Paloto (born 1963) is a Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

n sportsperson who played netball

Netball

Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...

 and softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

 for New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. She played for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, from 1982–1989. While able to play the shooting circle, her specialised position was wing-attack. She retired after the 1989 World Games

World Games 1989

The third World Games were held in 1989 in Karlsruhe, then part of West Germany. There were 4.000 athletes from over 50 countries participated in 25 sports at the World Games.- Medal Table :-External links:* *...

 where New Zealand defeated Australia in the final. Fatialofa-Paloto later coached the Samoan national netball team

Samoa national netball team

The Samoa national netball team represent Samoa in international netball tests and competitions. The team are coached by former Samoa and New Zealand representative player Linda Vagana. As of 26 July 2011, Samoa are 13th in the IFNA World Rankings...

 at the 1991

1991 Netball World Championships

The 1991 World Netball Championships was the eighth staging of the World Netball Championships, the premier tournament in international netball, held every four years. The 1991 tournament was held in Sydney, Australia and was contested by 20 teams. All matches were held at the Sydney Entertainment...

 and 1995 Netball World Championships

1995 Netball World Championships

The 1995 World Netball Championships was the ninth staging of the World Netball Championships, the premier tournament in international netball, held every four years. The 1995 tournament was held in Birmingham, England and was contested by a record 27 teams. Among them were the South African team,...

. In 1999, she was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, and was also included in Netball New Zealand

Netball New Zealand

Netball New Zealand is the national body which oversees, promotes and manages netball in New Zealand, including the Silver Ferns.Other competitions overseen include:*ANZ Championship – Premier Domestic Competition...

's all-time Dream Team. In softball, she was a member of the team that won the 1982 ISF World Championship in Taipei, defeating the host nation in the final.