Meli Laddpeter 
[Source: Powerlifting Fiji/ Facebook]
The East versus West Powerlifting Competition held in Suva over the past two days has served as the first qualifying event for the ORPF Oceania International Championships later this year.
According to Fiji Powerlifting Committee member Norman Ravai, the tournament provided athletes with an important opportunity to assess their performance levels and begin planning their preparations for the Oceania Championships, which will be staged in November.
This year’s Oceania event will hold added significance, as it marks the first time in 20 years that Fiji will host the prestigious regional competition.
The East versus West competition attracted more than 70 athletes over the two-day event, making it the federation’s largest competition to date.
“This is one of our biggest competitions so far, and we are happy to see a lot of women competing here today, it’s very encouraging. This is our first qualifiers, and we are happy with what we’ve seen so far.”
Ravai also expressed his satisfaction at the increasing number of female competitors, noting that this year’s event recorded the highest female participation the federation has seen so far.
