More than two months after getting a Commonwealth Games gold medal at Birmingham in England, weightlifting star Don Opeloge will finally be rewarded in an award ceremony.

It is understood the man behind the success of Samoa's weightlifting team, coach Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork will also be recognised for his contribution to the development of the sport in Samoa.  

The event on Friday will be held at the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour (MCIL) Office at the Government Building with the Minister, Leatinu'u Wayne So'oialo officiating at the ceremony. 

Leatinu'u will present the awards to the young Opeloge and the weightlifting guru and coach Tuaopepe. It is not known how much they will receive. Attempts to get a comment from the Minister of Sports, Seuula Ioane on Thursday were unsuccessful. 

Samoa's weightlifting team secured four medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games: three silver medals and one gold medal. 

Tupuola Ato Faoagali, a Sydney-based Samoan boxer, secured the fifth medal for Samoa in the form of a silver. 

This newspaper understands the previous Government had a policy in place, which specifically said only a gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games would be financially rewarded. The winner of a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games would receive $50,000 and a gold medal from the Olympic Games would receive $100,000.  

However, in 2018 the Government gifted successful athletes at the Commonwealth Games in Australia 20,000 tala each with both Sanele Mao and Feagaiga Stowers recipients of the cash prize. Tuaopepe was also rewarded and received $10,000 as a token of appreciation for his work and dedication in training Samoa's weightlifters. 

There was also a $4,000 tala reward in acknowledgement of the efforts of Don Opeloge, Lauititi Lui and Tupuola Faoagali who all secured silver medals at the same event in Australia in 2018. 

This year the 23-year-old Don Opeloge smashed the Commonwealth Games record in the men’s 96 kg category to get the country’s first gold medal.

Following the success of Samoan athletes at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Minister Seuula told this newspaper the Government was proud of the athletes' overall performance representing the country on the international sporting stage.

"Their efforts, dedication and hard work is commendable and we thank them for that," Seuula said at the time. “We also thank their coaches and management who have worked tirelessly to produce such amazing results."

When asked if the current Government would change the policy on financial assistances for champions who got medals for Samoa, Seuula said they had not looked into the policies at the time. 

"As I mentioned before, we have not finalised anything yet but it's something that we are looking at. The performance and achievements of our athletes is something we do not take lightly.

“They have sacrificed a lot and had given their all to represent Samoa and they did so well. So those are all the areas we are looking at and once we finalise the details and formalise a decision we will inform you about it."

Samoa with its four silvers and one gold for a total five medals was ranked 19th on the Commonwealth Games medal tally, in front of the region's sporting powerhouses Fiji (ranked 29th) and Papua New Guinea (ranked 35th placing) and well ahead of 22 other Commonwealth nations and territories. 

Upon their return from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Tuaopepe made an impassioned plea to the Government to reward athletes who won medals for Samoa at the recent Commonwealth Games.

In an exclusive interview with the Samoa Observer at the time, the Samoa Weightlifting Federation (S.W.F.) President and Coach, Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork said the reward "does not have to be big". 

He said the Government's recognition is vital and urged it to consider the hard work and sweat of the athletes, who were able to put Samoa's name on the map at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

"It does not have to be big" Tuaopepe said. "Getting a medal, especially at the Commonwealth stage is no small feat, and a little recognition of the performance and hard work that went into getting those results is all we are asking for. 

"I think the last Commonwealth [Games] we participated in, all medalists including those who won silvers, were rewarded but that was under a different Administration. 

"We don't know what the current Administration have in mind and whether there will be any assistance. That is totally up to the Government."

According to Tuaopepe, the journey of each of the athletes in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, was one of "dedication, hard work, sweat and months of training." 

"It was not an easy road to get to the level we have achieved, so all we are asking for is a little reward so our athletes know that the Government and the people of Samoa are appreciative of their efforts and dedication."

Tuaopepe said that as a coach he is pleased and is satisfied with the outcome and the results achieved by his athletes. 

"The aim was that we all get gold medals for Samoa," Tuaopepe said. "But the outcome has been very satisfying and our coaching staff and management are very grateful for our team's performances. 

"They gave it their all and gold medal or not, we are still very proud of them as the majority of them have surpassed their personal best. 

"That is more important as it shows that they have worked really hard since the last tournament and that they are improving. 

"That is an achievement we are very proud of because all of them were able to get pass their personal bests. 

"They were amazing and put on a marvelous performance and we are very proud of their hard work and their efforts."

However, the S.W.F. President believes that with the right amount of funding invested in the development of the sport, the athletes could have achieved more. 

"We usually don't wait for money to come in," Tuaopepe said. "We like to keep working and continue the work that we are required to do whether we have money or not. 

"We like to push ourselves and keep working hard to achieve our goals. 

"Even though funding wise, it's always a challenge trying to secure funds for the improvements of our facilities and to cater for the needs of our athletes, that does not stop us from finding ways to get things done.

"The majority of the time we use money from our own pockets to get things done because we don't want to wait around for things to happen. 

"But imagine what our athletes could achieve if we receive money to support the developments of the sport in Samoa."