Carrying the Olympic torch
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LUATUANUU, Samoa — Cheered by his family and his village, Tusa Villiamu Vaofi recently carried the Olympic torch here on its way to the Sydney Olympics. Brother Vaofi, former bishop of the Luatuanuu Ward in Samoa, had been invited by the Olympic Committee to carry the torch three times. He declined each time because he felt the honor should go to the chiefs of his village. Only after the council of chiefs asked him to participate did he consent.
Brother Vaofi, who served a mission in Samoa in 1989-90, has been active in sports all his life. He was the heavy weight clean fighter of Samoa in 1957. In 1984, the first year that Western Samoa was invited to the Olympics, Brother Vaofi was the Samoan boxing coach. He has also been the coaching representative for boxing in four international tournaments.
