Caption: Weightlifting coach Joe Vueti accepting the cheque from BSP Head of Marketing Nirdesh Singh. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Friday, July 3, 2015. THE Fiji Weightlifting team to the XV Pacific Games received a major boost when Bank of South Pacific presented $7,500 to polish off their final preparations in PNG.
The team was in camp for the last month in the Old Capital Levuka, now the heart of weightlifting in Fiji and arrived into Suva this week before flying off to Port Moresby.
The formalities were done at Team Fiji’s departure parade in Suva earlier this week with the full Pacific Games squad in attendance.
Manueli Tulo fronts up media. Photo: SUPPLIED.
BSP Head of Marketing Nirdesh Singh said “We had a request from Fiji Weightlifting for financial support for the team. We are happy to support them. We know they are a young and exciting team with good Gold potential so we wish them all the best.”
Weightlifting coach and former Pacific Games champion Joe Vueti said because all of their athletes were either students or unemployed, funding was always going to be a problem. We are thankful to BSP for helping not only us but so many other sports.
We can only repay that by doing our absolute best and winning as many as possible gold medals for Fiji. This sponsorship is a huge boost for us and the first of its kind in size and value for weightlifting in Fiji”
Vueti promised early medals for Fiji.
“We are taking a mixed team to these Games. Some of our development lifters are going with our senior lifters. “We promise Fiji that by end of Sunday we will be winning Fiji’s first Gold medal.”
Vueti thanked supporters from around Fiji and also overseas who have posted messages on Facebook. “We urge everyone who supports Team Fiji to use the tagline #BankingOnGold when they post messages on Facebook, because it will send the message straight through to the page created for Fiji athletes.”
Fiji’s trump cards will be Sportsman of the Year Manueli Tulo who will be competing in the 55kg weight category and Apolonia Vaivai the 2014 Commonwealth Bronze medalist. She also won 3 silver medals at the 2013 Mini Pacific Games in Wallis & Futuna . Weightlifting begins this Sunday morning.
BSP