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TAHITI WINS SOUTH PACIFIC BODYBUILDING TITLE 2005
By Tuifa’asisina Peter Rees
 

Tahiti stunned everyone when they upstaged the big guns of New Caledonia and Samoa to win the 2005 South Pacific Bodybuilding Championships in Papeete, Tahiti in October.

The win proved popular - achieved in front a parochial home crowd of fans who witnessed one of the most tightly contested competitions since the first event was held in the Cook Islands in 1992.

There were loud cheers of approval when the judges result was read out with Tahiti emerging as the top country overall, followed by French speaking rivals New Caledonia and Samoa in third place.

The overall award is based on the highest placing of up to ten athletes in any one team. Gold medal winners Manu Buchin (Under 90kg Men), Alphonse Ihorai (Under 80kg Men), Maurice Tchan (Under 65kg Men), Apo Tetautiave (Junior Men), Igor Leontieff (Masters Men), Soreau Sylvia (52-57kg Women) and Nathalie Gaska (Women’s Body Fitness (Figure) Tall) all contributed to Tahiti’s dominance.

The overall individual honours went to Papua New Guinea strongman Donald Kaiwi, who was crowned the Overall Men’s Champion and Over 90kg Men’s winner, and Samoa’s golden girl Viola Etuata, who was declared the Overall Women’s Champion and Over 57kg women’s winner.

Samoa deservedly won the Team Posing category with a winning combination of synchronization and body movement, all performed to an appropriate routine. New Caledonia and Tahiti were second and third respectively.

New Caledonia edged Samoa and Tahiti for the Couples Category while in the other categories, Stephane Groise of New Caledonia won the Under 85kg men, Teinaki Rasmussen (Cook Islands) won the Under 75kg Men, Paul Leulusoo (Samoa) won the Under 70kg Men, Tuigana (New Caledonia) won the Grand Masters (over 50), Ana Brien (Cook Islands) won the Under 52kg Women, Mylene Forcin (New Caledonia) won the Women’s Body Fitness (Figure) Overall Champion award and Women’s Body Fitness (Figure) Short Under 164cm award. The highlight of the evening was the presence of a professional bodybuilder from France as the guest poser who wowed the audience with his vibrant routine complete with music and stage effects.

    

Local hero, Alphonse Ihorai of Tahiti, delights his home fans by winning the Under 80kg men's category. (Photo: Photo Courtesy SPBBF)
 

Viola Etuata of Samoa salutes the crowd after winning the overall women's award. Standing behind her is Samoa Bodybuilding Federation and SASNOC president, Vui Tapasu Leung Wai.
(Photo: Photo Courtesy SPBBF)
 

Donald Kaiwi of Papua New Guinea dazzled the judges with his well honed physique and matching routine, winning the overall men's award.
(Photo: Photo Courtesy SPBBF)
 
His pose off with a member of the audience who showed he had a long way to go to get into shape, had the locals in raptures of laughter.

The event was organised by the South Pacific Bodybuilding Federation (SPBF) which is affiliated to the world governing body IFBB. It represents all 22 countries of the South Pacific and its role is to promote and develop the sport of bodybuilding throughout the South Pacific Region.

The SPBBF is recognised and affiliated to the South Pacific Games Council and as such bodybuilding is one of the most popular sports at the South Pacific Games.

The Annual South Pacific Championships is hosted every year by various member countries, incorporating the South Pacific Games events every fourth year. Bodybuilding is growing in the Pacific with more and more people taking up the sport.

Next year, the 2006 South Pacific Bodybuilding Championships will be hosted by Papua New Guinea in the capital Port Moresby, the hometown of newly crowned men’s champion Donald Kaiwi.
 		  
 

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