Olympic team size not final

Five athletes are likely to represent the Cook Islands at the London Olympic Games from July 26 to August 12.

New Zealand based slalom canoeist Ella Nicholas and local sprinter Patricia Taea are the only two Cook Islands athletes that have qualified for the games with weightlifters, swimmers and sailors still to attend Olympic qualifying events over the next few months leading up to the games.

Weightlifters Sam Pera Jnr, Luisa Peters and Sirla Pera will attend the Oceania Weightlifting Olympic qualifying event in Samoa in April, however the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee has applied for a wild card for a weightlifter to attend the games.

CISNOC administration manager Siniva Marsters says if none of the three weightlifters qualify for the games in Samoa and a wild card is awarded by the International Olympic Committee – this will go to Sam Pera Jnr.

Swimmers have two wild card applications filed, and Australian based Cook Islands siblings Celeste and Aaron Brown to attend qualifying events over the next few months.

Fellow Cook Islands swimmer Tepaia Payne, who is based in Brunei, is also working towards representing the Cook Islands at the Olympics.

Cook Islands top sailors Taua Elisa and Helema Williams have real chances of qualifying for the Olympics and will attend the final Olympic qualifying regatta in April in Germany.

The final make up of team Cook Islands will be finalised in April when Marsters attends the final Olympic Games meeting in Switzerland.

At the CISNOC special meeting on Thursday – three team size options were presented to national federations. These will be discussed further by the CISNOC board at a meeting on Monday.

The ‘no cost’ option, which will see costs of all team members covered by IOC funding, is a 12-person team which will include six athletes, CISNOC president, secretary general, chef de mission and three team mangers.

The ‘low cost’ options is a 15-member team which includes six athletes, CISNOC president, secretary general, chef de mission, one team personnel and five team managers.

The ‘high cost’ option is the option that CISNOC secretary general Rosie Blake indicated is preferred – 18 people. This would be made up of nine athletes, CISNOC president, secretary general, chef de mission, one team personnel and five team managers.

The breakdown of each team option will be detailed in tomorrow’s CINews.