Team Cook Islands athletes will this week begin their voyage across the globe to Glasgow in Scotland for the Commonwealth Games.
The sports team is made up of 37 athletes and officials representing four sporting codes, namely athletics, lawn bowls, rugby sevens and weightlifting.
The team will be led by Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee secretary general and Team Cook Islands chef de mission Robert Graham.
Graham says that early planning in organising the team’s trip for the games has resulted in smooth final preparations for the team.
The Glasgow organising committee provided funds to the tune of $230,000 for Team Cook Islands athletes and officials airfares and along with a number of movie and golf Ambrose fundraisers – Graham says that sending Team Cook Islands to Glasgow has come well within their budget.
“We are well within out budget to send our team across to Glasgow and this is mainly due to our early planning and booking of cheap flights straight after the Wallis mini games campaign,” says Graham.
“We haven’t had to ask government for financial assistance.”
Members of the team will begin to make their way to Glasgow this Friday starting with the Cooks’ lawn bowls group that includes managers Douglas Tou, Anna Henry and athletes Mata (Kanny) Vaile, Mata (Irene) Tupuna, Linda Vavia, Teokotai Jim, Phillip Jim, Vaine Henry, Munokokura (Totoo) Pita, Pi (Lawrence) Paniani and Tuatiaki Papatua.
The lawn bowls team will meet with the rugby sevens team in Auckland and travel together to Dubai and on to Glasgow.
The rugby sevens team includes Aitutaki-based player Teu Paerau and will be led by head coach Chad Tuoro and manager Cam Kilgour.
The team members are Ashley Drake, Harry Berryman, Gregory Mullany, Junior Kiria, Josh Petero, Sean Fletcher, James Iopu, Koiatu Koiatu, James Raea, Teu Paerau, Simon Marcel and Twoboys Taia.
Track athlete Alex Beddoes is already in the UK going through final training before he competes in the 800m race while fellow track athlete and national sportswoman of the year Patricia Taea will be travelling with Oceania athletes from Australia where she is based at the high performance centre.
Taea will compete in the 100m and 200m sprints.
Sole female weightlifter Luisa Peters is the final athlete in Team Cook Islands and has one final competition in Rome before she steps out on the Glasgow weightlifting stage.
Team Cook Islands is also set to be once again one of the best dressed teams at the event thanks to Onu/Turtles sports and major sponsor Marekos, who have generously contributed to dressing the team in both casual and formal wear featuring uniquely Cook Islands designs and flora which is sure to go a long way attracting attention for the Cook Islands.
Team Cook Islands will also be joined by Queens Representative Tom Marsters and his entourage.
As the team go through final preparations before departure for Glasgow – chef de mission Robert Graham is optimistic about how the small team will perform and CI News will bring you just how well Team Cook Islands athletes stack up in the coming days.