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Fiji Sports Awards

The Fiji Sports Awards first started in 2011 and was introduced by a partnership that involved the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee, Fiji Sports Council and the Fiji National Sports Commission. The awards are to recognise the contribution of athletes, administrators, journalists and photographers to sports in Fiji. Manueli Tulo was blessed to be a nominee in the 2016 Fiji Sports Awards at the Vodafone Arena. The 26-year old was among the nine nominees for the Sportsman of the Year category alongside Vodafone Fijian 7s captain Osea Kolinisau who is the top contender for the award, Leslie Copeland(Athletics Fiji), Roy Krishna(Fiji Football),Epeli Baleibau(Fiji Paralympic), Joji Veremalua(Karate), Iakoba Taberanibou( Table Tennis) and Antonio Raturoba from Fiji Volleyball. “For me personally I deserve to be nominated after everything I have done for the country last year. And to be nominated again in the Sportsman of the Year category is a blessing for me,”Tulo said. “Last year every time I participate in competition I make sure to be good ambassador for the country and doing the country proud in my event.” Earlier last year Tulo won gold in the men’s 56kg category at the 2016 Australian Open Weightlifting Championships in Chandler, Brisbane. He lifted 108kg in the Snatch and 134kg in the Clean and Jerk for a total of 242kg. He then participated in the Oceania Championships hosted at the Vodafone Arena and won gold after a 104kg lift in the Snatch and 127kg in Clean and Jerk with a Total of 231kg. Tulo then participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics and was placed in 13th position after lifting a Total of 242kg. “This was one of my best placing in any major international competition,” Tulo added. Swimmer Matelita Buadromo, Judoka Tevita Takayawa, weightlifters like Maria Liku, Manueli Tulo and athletics Banuve Tabakaucoro and powerlifter Sainimili Turner are some names that have won awards. 11 category awards are for grabs and these include Coach of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Technical Official of the Year, Sports Photograph of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Sports Team of the Year, Young Sports Man and Woman as well as Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.   2016 Winners of the Awards: Fiji Tattslotto Fiji Sportswoman of the Year Winner: Mere Rodan (Table Tennis) Fiji Tattslotto Fiji Sportsman of the Year Winner: Osea Kolinisau (Rugby) Fortech 2016 Young Female Athlete of the Year Winner: Sally Yee (Table Tennis) Powerade 2016 Young Male Athlete of the Year Winner: Sitiveni Timi (Weightlifting)  Metframe 2016 Sports Organisation of the Year Winner: Weightlifting Fiji SportsWorld's 2016 Sports Team of the Year Winner: Team Fiji Rugby Men's Sevens team OSEP Hanisi Visanti 2016 Administrator of the Year Winner: Sikeli Tuinamuana (Weightlifting) Paradise Beverages Technical Official of the Year Winner: Naca Cawanibuka (Rugby) Fiji Water Volunteer of the Year Winner: Mereia Belo (Volleyball) ANZ Coach of the Year Winner: Ben Ryan (Rugby) Tappoo Sports Photograph of the Year Winner: Adi Nacola (Weightlifting)   Congratulations to all the winners!! Source:

2017 WADA Annual Symposium: Play True „What do you play for?”

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) held its Annual Symposium 13-15 March, in Lausanne hosting more than 500 anti-doping experts from NADOs, IFs, other ADOs, Laboratories, Media representatives and for the first time Governmental Representatives. The main theme of the Symposium was: „Tackling our Challenges and Strengthening the Future of Clean Sport”. The first day of the Symposium consisted of plenary sessions where Sir Craig Reedie, WADA President and Olivier Niggli, WADA Director General talked about how the Anti-Doping Community shall use the recent turbulent times as an opportunity to bring its fight against doping to a higher level. Among others, further speakers of the plenary sessions were Pavel Kolobkov, Sports Minister of the Russian Federation who gave an update on the recent Anti-Doping activities in Russia and Prof Richard McLaren who presented the investigation methods applied to deliver his Reports. On the second and third days of the Symposium the participants had the possibility to attend practical workshops on different topics such as: education, funding, testing programs, results management, risk assessment, good governance practises, stimulating cooperation between governments and sport, and ADOs and Laboratories, and anti-doping reporting mechanisms. On the occasion of one of the practical workshops the IWF was invited to present its system applicable to Sporting Bodies based on which the IWF Executive Board has the authority to impose sanctions on Member Federations violating the IWF Anti-Doping Rules. The rules were presented to the attendants of the workshop by Dr. Eva Nyirfa, IWF Legal Counsel. As always, the Symposium was a perfect opportunity for the IWF (represented by Dr. Patrick Schamasch, IWF Anti-Doping Commission Chairman, Dr. Zakia Bartagi, IWF ADC Member, Dr. Eva Nyirfa, Legal Counsel, Dr. Lilla Sagi, Junior Legal Counsel and Ms. Melody Exhenry, Administrative Assistant) to further strengthen its cooperation with other ADO’s. For more information related to the Symposium visit the following

Libyan Weightlifting Federation Elections

Libyan Weightlifting Federation held its Electoral Congress on 27 February 2017 in Tripoli. President: Eng. Manareddin Mohamed ESHELLI General Secretary: Mr. Abdulmoneim Riad Milad SUFELJIN Vice President: dr. Mabruk Abdelgader Mohamed MOSBAH Congratulations to all the elected

President of Ghana Weightlifting Federation heads Ghana Olympic Committee

President of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF), Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, has been elected President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) at an elective congress held in Accra on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. Mr. Nunoo Mensah was earlier this month elected onto the Executive Board of the Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA), in Algiers, Algeria. He was also awarded by Sports Fans in Ghana as the Federation Chairman of the Year 2016, a slot he contested with President of Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi. The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) also nominated him as Association Chairman of the Year. Mr Nunoo Mensah was elected President of GWF in 2013. Under his leadership, Weightlifting in Ghana has seen a dramatic transformation and has become one of Ghana’s glorious sporting disciplines in the last three years. Very recently in October 2016, he led the National Weightlifting Team – Black Cranes to Penang, Malaysia for the World Youth Championship and Commonwealth Youth/Junior/Senior Championships where four medals (two gold, one silver and a bronze) were won. Congratulations Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah! Source:

IOC launches bold initiative on gender equality

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board today approved a major review project regarding gender equality in the Olympic Movement. With the help of its partners, the Summer and Winter International Sports Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the IOC is undertaking a comprehensive review of the current state of gender equality in the Olympic Games with a mandate to produce action-oriented recommendations for change. “The IOC is taking a leadership role in the world of sport to push gender equality globally and effect real change,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The outcomes from this Gender Equality Review Project will benefit the IOC, all International Sports Federations and National Olympic Committees, as well as all the athletes of the Olympic Games. It will also be a further tangible outcome of Olympic Agenda 2020.” The IOC Gender Equality Review Project is a joint initiative of the IOC’s Women in Sport and Athletes’ Commissions, and aims to raise continued awareness of the importance of gender equality within the Olympic Movement, share best practices and present initiatives to further advance gender equality both on and off the field of play. Five essential themes will be assessed: Sport; Portrayal; Funding; Governance; and Human Resources. The work will be conducted by a Working Group chaired by IOC Member and President of the International Triathlon Union Marisol Casado, and comprising IOC Members and NOC and Summer and Winter IF representatives. Lydia Nsekera, Chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission, commended the partnership developed between her Commission and the IOC Athletes’ Commission. She said: “We welcome this cooperation and the creation of this Working Group, which will give a great boost to the work of the Women in Sport Commission. Our Commission is looking forward to the recommendations of the Working Group, which will further assist us to remove the barriers that continue to prevent women and girls in sport in general and elite sport in particular.” For Angela Ruggiero, Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, gender equality is a clear priority for the athletes: “The IOC Athletes’ Commission wants gender equality to be part of the organisational culture within the entire Olympic Movement. To achieve that, we have directed the Working Group to develop action-oriented recommendations, substantiated by data and the best practices of our Olympic partners. We believe the outcome of this project will fundamentally advance the position of women in sport, and ultimately, lead to a stronger Olympic Movement.” Marisol Casado, the Working Group Chair for the Project, believes “by having the IOC, the IFs and the NOCs working together on this project, we will share best practices as well as address the obstacles facing gender equality in sport to produce solutions. I am confident our recommendations will make significant advancements”. Barbara Slater, Director of Sport for the BBC, adds: "As a broadcaster with a proud record in the coverage of women's sport, we welcome the IOC's review into gender equality, and support the recommendation of the IOC’s Women in Sport and Athletes' Commissions for an in-depth review of gender equality within the Olympic Movement. The IOC is uniquely placed in its ability to bring together sports organisations from across the globe to address this crucial issue." The Gender Equality Project Working Group will develop recommendations and guidelines, and report its findings to the IOC’s Women in Sport and Athletes’ Commissions, with the final recommendations presented to the IOC Executive Board later this year. Fostering gender equality and strengthening women’s participation in and through sport is one of the key missions of the IOC. With the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020 in December 2014 and as reaffirmed by the IOC Executive Board last December, the IOC is committed to working with its stakeholders to increase the possibilities for girls and women in sport and to achieve the goal of female athletes representing 50 per cent of the athletes taking part in the Olympic Games. Source:

IWF Junior World Championships, Competition documents

The documents for the 2017 IWF Junior World Championships Tokyo, JPN to be held from 15–23 June, 2017 were uploaded. The Regulations as well as all the forms are accessible through