Paul Coffa:
The Institute is more than world class

What were to main steps towards the institute?

The Oceania Weightlifting Institute was established in Fiji in 2002 - Paul Coffa answers.  The Oceania National Olympic Committee through Olympic Solidarity supported the athletes training at the Institute in preparation for the Athens Olympics and other international regional events.  Many top lifters moved to the Oceania Weightlifting Institute in Sigatoka , Fiji .   They were full time athletes.

Consequently the result was  successful. In 2004 within two years our results at regional level were very successful an we placed very well at the Olympics.   A year later we had a silver medal at 2005 World championships in Qatar and we repeated another silver medal in Santo Domingo in 2006.

We shifted the institute to Samoa and the place in Samoa was brilliant. There we had even more success as  we had two major international events.  One was the Pacific Rim International tournament in 2006 and then in 2007 we had the World Cup . I think we did our  job very well as we promoted weightlifting. In 2007 I was approached by the New Caledonia Territorial Olympic Committee,  the Government of New Caledonia ,  the Minister for Sport and Ronald Frere, President of New Caledonia weightlifting,  to consider relocating the Institute to New Caledonia . 

And after serious consideration and for the future development of weightlifting in the region I decided to move to New Caledonia .  As World Weightlifting Magazine calls me  a mIssionary  -  I suppose because I move around the Pacific for the sport,  we now have one of the best weightlifting training centers in the world. The accommodation is first class for 24 athletes and in the training center everything is new and free of charge. I should call it a little hotel. The training facilities have 24 platforms and the warm up area has a space for another 12 platforms.  Also accommodated in the building is the headquarters of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation and also the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation. 

- How your efforts were recognized?

- The idea of the institute was really praised  It is interesting to note that at the Pacific Leaders Forum in 2007,  that Pacific leaders attached importance of sports in the social, cultural and economic life of Pacific Island countries. Sixteen Pacific leaders, who attended the 38th Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Tonga in 2007 encouraged their National Sports and Olympic Federations to work together with their counterparts in the region to develop and implement regional programs and projects, such as that has been achieved for weightlifting.
For me it was a special prize. We are the only sport in  the Pacific to have an Institute which is located in an island. Everything else is located in Australia or New Zealand .

- We can speak of you in high terms. What are the future plans?

- A medal at the Olympic Games from a Pacific Island lifter would be sensational.  I believe we have the quality in the future to achieve this aim.