Three National Records, 500 Athletes, 109 events, 40 officials, u18s, Opens, and Masters Athletes competing all together. All brought together by a successful collaboration between Cook Islands Sport and Oceania Athletics Association.
The 3rd Cook Islands Games Athletics Competition, held on October 11th and 12th, 2024 in Nikao, saw 500 athletes compete across 109 events. Athletics was part of the two week multi sport event will featuring, rugby, netball and traditional canoe racing. The event aims to showcase local talent amongst the Cook Islands brining the 15 Islands together after the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The event was a result of collaboration between Athletics Cook Islands, Cook Islands Sports, and the Oceania Athletics Association, providing a platform for athletes to compete at a national level.
A total of 381 medals were awarded, and 40 officials oversaw the event. Athletes participated in Open, Masters, and Under 18 categories. The World Athletics ranking meet featured on the Global Calendar. The Cook Islands joins 6 other Federations in the Area to have their National Championships globally.
Three national records were broken:
• Kingston Pupuke-Robati in the Under 18 Men’s Shotput with a throw of 15.50 m
• Metuaiviivitoa Herman in the Open Men’s Discus with a throw of 45.00m
• Tatjiana Areai in the Under 18 Women’s High Jump, clearing 1.63m
Prior to the competition Athletes Cook Islands hosted training sessions to help athletes maximised the opportunity to prepare for the Championships.
President of Athletics Cook Islands Simone Fe’ao:
“We had an epic 2 days full of athletics. The weather looked like it was going to make it hard for us but after a short burst of sideways rain the weather cleared and we had some brilliant competition. Some new talent identified which bodes well for the future of our sport
In addition to some great athlete performances, we had some great achievements as a federation. We were able to raise the standard this year with the inclusion of photo finish and electronic timing through our partnership with Oceania Athletics and have this event now included on the WA Global Calendar as a World Ranking Competition. Following our training academy earlier this year, we had 6 local officials complete their practical components and get signed off for the NAR certification.
This is a firm foundation for us to continue to build our infrastructure as we work towards hosting the Minigames in 2029.”
For Yvonne Mullins, Executive Director, Oceania Athletics, this was her first time at the Cook Islands Games, but in her words ‘hopefully more to come’!
“It was a great two days of competition, with athletes competing for their own regions. There was certainly rivalry between athletes who are usually on the same team, but there was also a sense of comradery. I have no doubt that the strength of Athletics in the Cook Islands over the years leading into the Pacific Mini Games in 2029, will hinge on this Cook Islands Games, where more rivalry will lead to more competitions and more great results. The Games, I hope will fuel local athletes to get more involved in athletics.”
You can relive the action of the event by rewatching the live stream or viewing the photo galleries on the Athletics Cook Islands Facebook Page.
Image: Fe’ena Photography
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