Weightlifting Fiji Reaps Benefits of Community Outreach Through Fiji National Sports Commission
Weightlifting Fiji is a proud sporting organisation following its success at regional and 2018 Commonwealth Games performances.
It is a sport that is potentially capable of turning the medal tally table around in regional and international meets given the prospects of medals in the different weight categories.
The Fiji National Sports Commission is proud to have been part of weightlifting’s successes through its community outreach programmes
Weightlifting Fiji has been part of the commission’s community programmes around the country.
During a Sports Outreach Programme in Navutulevu, Serua on September, 2018 Weightlifting Fiji wasted no time in sending national coach Della Shaw Elder to attend and was amazed at the abundance of talent.
Following the programme, the Serua Weightlifting Association was established.
Weightlifting equipment was supplied with the assistance of Commission while Serua was tasked to identify a venue to house the weightlifting set.
A temporary venue was set up while the Lomary Catholic Church agreed to allocate a piece of land to build a proper weightlifting building structure given its central location in the province.
Weightlifting Fiji wasted no time in running weightlifting clinics in Lomary for students and the community to as their hunt for talents began.
COACHES, LIFTERS IDENTIFIED
Potential coaches were identified and trained at the National Fitness Centre by Weightlifting Fiji officials to train community lifters in Serua.
The interest shown by the community was overwhelming as lifters of different ages started coming forward to try out different lifts with the guidance of trained coaches.
A total of 30 lifters were identified from the Serua Weightlifting Association to attend the national trials and the National Championships which served as the final trials to select the Fiji team for the International Weightlifting Federation Junior Weightlifting Championships which will be held in Suva on June 1-8.
Out of the 8 (four males and four females) that made the qualifying standards for the IWF JWC, four were from the Serua Weighlifting Association making up 50 per cent of the team.
Congratulations to Rebecca Johns, Maika Taukeinikoro, Samuela Nasila and Maloni Sadranu of the association who made the final team.
In addition, Asaeli Tuikenawa and Adi Lutunacawacawa also from the Serua were selected assistant coaches.
LARGEST PARTICIPATION
This will be Fiji’s largest participation at any World Championships ever.
Two lifters are also in the final team for Pacific Games, Oceania Championships and the Commonwealth Games while one is a non-traveling reserve.
Team manager to the JWC and Section Manager to the Pacific Games, Iowana Sera Vakaloloma, a former athlete and lifter herself and a Serua native, is very proud of what her province has achieved in the sport.
She commends the Commission for opening up this opportunity and working in partnership with Weightlifting Fiji to achieve these results.
At a similar programme run by the Commission in Vunisea, Kadavu last November, Weightlifting Fiji Officials spotted Merewalesi Nasila, a Year 12 student at Vunisea Secondary School.
They wasted no time in negotiating a training and education relocation to Suva to pursue her dreams of representing Fiji in the sport.
Now attending Suva Grammar School and billeted at one of our staff’s home, Merewalesi also made the cut for the Junior Weightlifting Championships and made her parents very proud.
COACHING ACCREDITATION
From a coaching development pathway, school teacher Vinaya Tiqe from Vunises Secondary is attending the OSEP Development Coach course in Suva as he persues recognistion as an accredited coach.
Weightlifting Fiji is commended for its efforts.
If talents can be identified at such a rate, imagine what will happen if all sports put in the same efforts to hunt for talents in the community and invest a little of their resources to guiding them to pursue their dreams and reach their potential.
It is about providing our people opportunities to excel in a sports pathway of their choice; be it playing, coaching and officiating or administration.
The Commission is all about giving sporting organisations this opportunity.
You may not have the resource to reach to the farthest parts of Fiji, we will make it happen for you.
A good four-year development plan and a commitment by NSO executives will do wonders for your sport.
If Weightlifting Fiji can achieve their results with a passionate group of officials, what is stopping other sports from doing the same?
We will bring you more results of National Sporting Organisation achievements in our next issue.
Have a great sporting week.
Edited by Osea Bola
Feedback: oseab@fijisun.com.fj
