A strong Pacific contingent is in attendance for the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, which begin later in Penang, Malaysia on Monday.
The event is a qualifying opportunity for next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
35 Pacific lifters are present, including Samoa's Mary Opeloge and Papua New Guinea's Steven Kari, after the region skipped last month's World Championships in Poland.
The head coach for the Samoa Weightlifting team, Jerry Wallwork, says the coming week is an important measuring stick.
"This Commonwealth Championships will be a very good test again. We will know where we stand and we know how much work we need to do. I think everyone will know where they stand and there's full teams from everywhere, everywhere around the Commonwealth, so it's going to be very tough."
If lifters fail to reach the qualifying standard they will have another chance at the Oceania Champs in Apia in 2014.