Strength is not in short supply in the Pacific nation, with all five of its Commonwealth Games gold medals arriving in weightlifting.

Six lifters have been picked to try and carry on the Samoan tradition in the sport in Birmingham, including Feagaiga Stowers who won the women's over-90 kilograms title last time out at Gold Coast 2018.

Birmingham 2022 will be a big event for the country's weightlifters, who were forced to withdraw from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Athletes from other sports did make it to Japan, but the weightlifters were unable to leave their mark as they were still at home when a state of emergency was declared, and were therefore banned from travelling. 

Joining Stowers in Birmingham will be Gold Coast silver medallist Don Opeloge, Jack Hitila Opeloge, John Lautafi Tafi, Petelo Tuiloma Lautusi and Vaipava Nevo Ioane.

The country will be sending 38 athletes to Birmingham in all, including in other sports where power is key such as boxing, judo, men's rugby sevens and wrestling.

In boxing, Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali will return after winning light heavyweight silver in Gold Coast.

Samoa will also compete in athletics and swimming.

"The Commonwealth Games is a huge event and anybody that gets to represent Samoa at the Commonwealth Games is privileged to represent Samoa," said Birmingham 2022 Chef de Mission Sulā Tagifano So’onalole-Sam Chong.

"The Commonwealth Games is a level down from the Olympics for most of these athletes, so they value it."

Samoa first competed at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch in 1974, and has featured at every edition since then.

Two of its five gold medals arrived at Gold Coast, with the other three coming as part of a purple patch of weightlifting success at Delhi 2010.

One of the Delhi champions was Ele Opeloge, who is also Samoa's only Olympic medallist.

She won silver at over-75kg at Beijing 2008 but initially came fourth and was forced to wait eight years to receive her medal, due to the reallocation of results following doping cases.

The country has won a number of minor Commonwealth medals in both weightlifting and boxing, while Margaret Satupai memorably grabbed shot put bronze in Delhi.

"Our seven sports have been training for this despite all the COVID challenges," said Chong. 

"So being out there to compete is a success itself for them."

Rugby is a huge sport in Samoa, with the boys' sevens team winning gold at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in The Bahamas.

The men's squad for Birmingham were the first to leave for England on July 14, with the rest of the sports due to follow this week.

An official send off was carried out by the Deputy Prime Minister, who offered his words of encouragement, advice and blessings.

It will be a quick turnaround for some athletes, who warmed up for Birmingham at the Pacific Mini Games in Saipan in June.

Samoa hosted the Pacific Games in 2019, four years after the country staged the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games.

In February, the Queen's Baton Relay for Birmingham 2022 arrived and was taken to sites including Mount Vaea, which overlooks capital city Apia.

The mountain is the final resting place of Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish writer whose works include Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Apia Park Stadium, the home of the rugby union team and the focal venue of the country's Pacific Games and Commonwealth Youth Games stagings, was also visited.

At the Samoa Cricket Oval, a celebration was attended by athletes and officials.