Lifters set for meet

 THE Papua New Guunea Weightlifting Federation (PNGWF) will stage an end-of-the month competition at the Taurama Indoor and Aquatic Centre in Port Moresby on Sunday as part of their preparation for the Oceania Championship in Suva, Fiji, from May 21-25.

PNGWF vice-president and technical adviser Frank Robby, pictured, said from the first competition held last month, only Port Moresby-based athletes took part, excluding those training in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Robby said the weekend’s competition standard would be high with the return of senior athletes from overseas and Commonwealth Games championSteven Kari, who only officiated during the last event.

“This time around we are expecting a higher level of competition with the return of Commonwealth Games gold  medallist Dika Toua and younger sister Thelma, the experienced Toua Udia, Morea Baru and Fred Oala,” Robby said.

“Their return will boost the morale of those athletes that competed in the first event excluding the senior ones,” he said. Robby said he was impressed with those who competed in the first competition, and with the seniors’ return it would push the junior lifters.

He said they would continue to have monthly competitions until April when they would announce the junior and senior squads for the Fiji meet.

“We are having these monthly competitions to select the final team and selection of the team will be based on athlete’s attendance to training, their discipline inside and outside of the field and their current ranking in the Oceania,” he said.

There would be 15 athletes in the senior squad and 15 in the junior squad for the Oceania titles.

After the championship in Suva a senior male and a senior female lifter would be selected to represent PNG at the Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.

Robby said PNG was attending the Oceania Championship as the defending champions.

He predicted their greatest challenge would come from Fiji and Samoa.