“BELIEVE me, this [venue] meets international standards,” said 2022 Pacific Mini Games Weightlifting Technical Delegate Paul Coffa in an interview with Variety Monday at the Marianas High School gym.
Coffa, who is also the secretary general of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation and is here as the International Weightlifting Federation’s technical delegate, was more than satisfied with the 2022 Pacific Mini Games weightlifting venue at the MHS gym.
“The standard of weightlifting here — the equipment, the facilities — is equal to the European championship held last week in Albania,” Coffa said. “There’s no difference.”
He noted that even the warmup area meets world standards while the equipment is the same as those used in the Tokyo Olympics. “You can’t get higher than that,” he added.
Coffa has been to 13 Pacific Games as a technical delegate and he reiterated that the weightlifting venue on island and everything in it, is just as good, if not better, than those in the previous games he has attended.
Competition-wise, Coffa believes that the standards will also be very high, adding that among the participating weightlifters is Australia’s Eileen Cikamatana who previously represented Fiji. She is only 22 years old but has already broken four world junior records.
With world-class athletes competing in a venue that meets world-class standards, Coffa believes that “this event will be like the Rolex of watches.”
The weightlifting competition will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning on Monday, June 20, and will continue through Thursday, June 23.
Oceania Weightlifting Federation General Secretary Paul Coffa and CNMI Weightlifting General Secretary Jeanne Rayphand pose for a photo in the weightlifting venue of the 2022 Pacific Mini Games at the MHS gym on Monday.
