THREE PNG bodybuilding gold medallists have been invited to take part in the 61st World Championship in Jeju, South Korea, next week.
The three medallists - Joe Kulame, Jack Viyufa and Wilfred Korua - will compete against the world’s best and hopefully put PNG on the world stage as a force in the sport of bodybuilding.
PNG Bodybuilding president Timai Tally praised his team for their efforts in the XIII South Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa, in winning the gold medals.
“Without the support team manager Philip Priestly, coach Luke Pondros and major sponsor Trukai, they could have not performed better than what they did in Samoa,” Tally said.
The International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) was impressed with the performance and had invited the PNG trio to compete at the world championship.
Tally said that this represents a great opportunity for PNG and the sport of Bodybuilding to achieve the profile it deserves. The dedication and natural abilities of PNG athletes in bodybuilding was exceptional.
He said more than 120 countries are affiliated with the IFBB and nearly 100 are expected to be in Korea.
Despite the sports success over the last few years, Tally said government support and funding is not being made available for this event.
Funding as always is difficult but Tally was confident with support from sponsors such as Trukai Industries, NCS and City Pharmacy we should manage to cover the costs.
“It has also been a challenge for our athletes to maintain the intensity of training and sacrifices of a body builder’s diet straight after a major championship like the South Pacific Games,” he said.
The Federation is also pleased to take PNG’s only internationally qualified bodybuilding judge, PNGBBF vice-president Ronald Haihavu.
His presence and experience at this level of competition will also lift PNG’s profile in the sport.
The team leaves on Oct 22 and return on Oct 30.