DELLA SHAW-ELDER
heads Weightlifting Fiji
Della Shaw-Elder has succeeded Atma Maharaj as Weighlifting Fiji’s president.
She was elected durinbg the annual general meeting in Suva last Sunday.
Della is not a stranger to the leadership position. She has been a gold medal-winning weightlifter for Fiji, and the Pacific’s only International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Female Category 1 Technical Official.
She is also the only female executive on the Executive Board of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation and has been the president of Suva Weightlifting Club for several years.
Della has served as the vice-president of WF in previous years and until her appointment, she was the general secretary of WF in 2019.
The election of Elder is significant, not only is this the first time a woman has held the president’s position, but in addition, over half of WF Fiji’s board are females. This signaled a strong commitment to growing gender equality and female participation within the sport.
Maharaj had been the president of WF since 2008 to 2013 and again from 2014 to 2020. He decided to step down after a long and successful leadership role.
Stepping down with him are treasurer Sikeli Tuinamuana and vicepresident Christopher D K Yee.
The trio, having taken up various roles within WF had a successful run, re-igniting the sport and going on to win 55 national and international awards since 2008.
This include various medals in international competitions along with our athletes setting World, Commonwealth and Oceania records.
Maharaj said it was anticipated that they would step down at the AGM in 2020 after delivering the hosting of the 2019 IWF Junior World Championships in Suva. “The success of the IWF JWC was paramount with the championships being the pinnacle of WF’s achievements to date,” said Maharaj.
Maharaj, Tuinamuana and Yee leave with fond memories of delivering two Oceania Championships, a resounding and unparalleled success with the 2019 IWF Junior World Championships.
The AGM was attended by delegates from Suva, Dogowale, Makosoi, Levuka and Kadavu weightlifting clubs.