WELLINGTON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Double Olympic gold medallist Valerie Adams took on a new role Friday to build sporting links across the Pacific as New Zealand's first Pacific Sports Ambassador.
"Valerie Adams is uniquely qualified to carry out this important role. She has strong connections to the Pacific through her Tongan heritage and is one of New Zealand's most successful and admired athletes," Foreign Minister Murray McCully said in a statement.
In addition to winning two Olympic gold medals in the shot put, Adams was a four-time world champion and won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"The development of this new role follows several years of New Zealand's active involvement in the sports sector in Pacific countries and complements the ties that exist between New Zealand and the Pacific," said McCully.
Adams would travel to Tonga and Samoa next week to conduct coaching clinics with up-and-coming and elite athletes, promote healthy lifestyles and encourage participation in physical activity.
The government last month launched the Pacific Sporting Partnerships program, with a fund of 10 million NZ dollars (7.14 million U.S. dollars), aimed at getting more children in Pacific countries playing organized sports.
Initially the program will focus on working with netball and rugby management in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands, but could include other sports and countries in the future.
