Athletes awarded IOC 2012 scholarships August 24, 2010
By Torika Tokalau The International Olympic Committee has awarded four Fijian athletes scholarships for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Athletics, Leslie Copeland, shootings Glen Cable, weightlifting’s Manueli Tulo and judo’s Sisilia Rokosokosoko have been honored with the lifetime opportunity to help them qualify for the London Games.
“It wasn’t easy for these recipients to get these scholarships because they had to compete not only with the regional athletes but athletes around the world for this opportunity,” Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee chief executive officer, Lorraine Mar said.
FASANOC’s High Performance Unit Commission identified and short-listed suitable athletes that were highly likely to qualify for the Olympic Games and submitted their names to the IOC in March.
“Some people ask us why we bother sending athletes to big tournaments and competitions like the Olympics when our medal chances are lower then the other countries but its this sort of outings that help athletes get these kind of scholarships in the first place,” Mar said.
“It improves the standard not only of the athlete but of the sport in Fiji as well.”
The scholarship will provide opportunities for athletes to benefit from technical and financial support from the Olympic Solidarity and the whole Olympic Movement.
The scholarship will ensure the recipients have access to specialized training, high level sports facilities, assistance for regular medical and scientific monitoring, accommodation and meal allowances as well as travel subsidies to participate in Olympic qualifying events.
The scholarships remains conditional until the athlete has qualified for the Games in London.
“We have international athletes who are fulltime sports people and it is very hard for a country like Fiji to compete with that but this scholarship sort of levels the field a little bit,” Cable said.
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