Kari never out of squad

 VETERAN weightlifter and selector Frank Robby said a recent media report that champion weightlifter Steven Kari was never sacked or thrown out of the national squad.

He said the Commonwealth Games gold medallist was always part of the squad but because of a misunderstanding Kari had with Noumea-based coach Paul Coffa and the PNG Weightlifting Federation, he chose to train on his own after returning from the Glasgow Games last July.

Robby said Kari and his coach, Douglas Mea, were an integral part of the weightlifting train-on squad who were preparing for the Games.

He backed federation president Sir John Dawanincura’s statement earlier in the week that Kari was in the team and he would be preparing for the July 4-18 event.

As part of the weightlifting squad’s preparation, elite lifters Dika Toua and Guba Hale would leave for Noumea on April 4, with the rest of the team to join them on May 31.