Project donates gear to weightlifting club

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
STUDENTS at the Loua Dika Toua weightlifting club in Hanuabada have received training gear from the Grass Skirt Project.
The club is an initiative of PNG weightlifter Dika Toua to train young people interested in weightlifting.
“We do not have enough material as they are very expensive, especially shoes and belts. So when students train, some had to wait for others to finish and then they swap gears,” Toua said.
She said despite the lack of equipment, she and the students had won medals for the country.
Tahina Booth, founder of the Grass Skirt Project, said being an athlete too, she understood the struggle clubs faced in terms of having proper training equipment and gear.
She said most of the gear such as weightlifting shoes, belts, bars and weights were only available from overseas.
Booth came up with the Grass Skirt Initiative to source and distribute sporting equipment from Australia-based athletes, local gyms and manufacturers to Papua New Guinea sports clubs.
“I just want to empower all the women and girls to play sports as Papua New Guineans are naturally strong,” she said.
“They just need training equipment to help them get there in whatever sporting codes they play.”