[ad_1]
Miriama Taletawa (left) and Tanila Lenibogi (right) were named the Fiji Sports Council’s 2023 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively in Suva on Saturday night.
photo: Fiji Government
Fijian weightlifters have taken top honours at the annual national sports awards, proving the sport is getting the recognition it deserves, the head of the country’s weightlifting governing body says.
Weightlifters Taniela Rainibogi and Miriama Taletawa won the Best Men’s and Women’s categories respectively at the 2023 Fiji Sports Awards held in Suva at the weekend.
Fiji Weightlifting Association president Della Shaw told New Zealand’s Pacific Radio it was an exciting time for weightlifting when the duo were named Fiji’s top athletes.
Shaw, herself a former Pacific and Oceania weightlifting champion, said it was proof the sport was moving in the right direction since she took over in 2019.
“On Saturday, for the first time ever, we accomplished the impossible, having one sport win both the men’s and women’s championships,” Shaw said.
“It’s an encouragement for us and a recognition of weightlifting in Fiji. For me who has taken on the helm of the sport since 2019, I want to thank the executives, the outgoing executives for having faith in me to take on the sport. It has not been easy.
“We faced a lot of backlash after the incident in 2019. But as we’ve grown, I’ve seen the sport grow, and I’m so grateful to those who have always believed in powerlifting.
“We used to have one club and now we have expanded to five clubs and we are seeing the growth of the sport in Fiji.”
The 2019 incident she was referring to was a disagreement between the weightlifting body and the Levuka Weightlifting Association, which led to champion weightlifter Irene Sikamatana leaving Fiji and moving to Australia in favour of the Green and Gold.
Shaw said the work of getting weightlifting back on track after everything it’s been through will be challenging and arduous.
With the support of the government and stakeholders, the sport is making great strides, with positive results in regional and international events, and the awards presented at the weekend were the icing on the cake.
The Fijian weightlifting team and its top athletes Miriama Taletawa, Taniela Rainibogi and President Della Shaw (in the green dress centre).
photo: Fiji Government
Commonwealth and Masters Championships held this month
Shaw and her team are now looking forward to hosting the Commonwealth Championships and World Masters Championships in Suva on September 16.
Both events will be held at the Vodafone Arena in Laucala Bay, with around 700 athletes and 100 officials expected to arrive in the Fijian capital.
Fiji will host the 2024 Commonwealth Championships, which will be held from September 17 to 22.
The World Masters will be held from September 23 to 28.
Shaw said the event would be a huge boost to the sport and the Fiji Weightlifting Association was grateful for all the support they had received.
Meanwhile, fans who want to watch the game can do so for free.
“I’m very grateful to the Government for fully supporting Weightlifting Fiji. It has greatly increased awareness,” she said.
“Weightlifting is seen as a minor sport and this will really increase awareness of weightlifting in schools and among the general public.
“What we actually did is, we turned it into a FOC, so anyone can come and watch this tournament.
“We are also writing to schools because we have some students. We are inviting schools; we want them to come and visit their students.”
She said the sport was also a way for all Fijians to stay healthy and fit.
Some weightlifters who competed in the July/August Paris Olympics are expected to compete in both events, and some weightlifters are expected to compete in both events as well.
Shaw said qualifying events for the next Commonwealth Games and the world championships in Bahrain in December would also be held in Suva.
She said they hoped Fijian people and fans would come out and support the events.
[ad_2]
Source link
