FASANOC
Athletics Fiji hopes to work with other National Federations as it prepares athletes for the Pacific Mini Games and Commonwealth Games to be held in 2022.
Athletics Fiji hopes to work with other National Federations as it prepares athletes for the Pacific Mini Games and Commonwealth Games to be held in 2022.
Athletics Fiji Secretary Lilian Amasa said financial constraints and Covid have affected the NF's preparations for the upcoming Games, which is why they would be looking at working together with other NF's.
"Where possible Athletics Fiji hopes to collaborate with other NFs to complement each other by sharing and using facilities and resources that each NF has. This would at least help reduce some costs with athletes" she said.
Lilian said Athletics Fiji was also actively seeking out possible sponsors to assist with finances or value in kind.
"Athletics Fiji is also working on its partnership with other stakeholders that includes Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC), Fiji National Sports Commission (FNSC), Oceania Sports Education Programme (OSEP) among others," she said.
Lilian said recent events also impacted the ability of Athletics Fiji to hold competitions that will allow for selection.
"Once selected the preparation of the team by providing for the athletes to enable them to attend training and the quality resources required for training would also require funding, resource and time," she said.
"This is why we are hoping to work together with other interested NF's."
Lilian said Athletics Fiji has a long squad list of athletes where they hope to choose from for the upcoming Games in 2022.
"We hope to use the upcoming Pacific Mini Games in Saipan, Northern Mariana as a building block for our athletes to the Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Olympic Games," she said.
"The upcoming Games will also allow our athletes to compete at international competitions so they can gauge themselves in terms of where they are and where they want to go."
Athletics is one of nine sports on the Pacific Mini Games program which includes badminton, baseball, beach volleyball, golf, tennis, triathlon, va’a and weightlifting.
Athletics also has a long history with Team Fiji, being the first sport for Fiji to be represented in at the Commonwealth Games.
In 1950 Mataika Tuicakau and Luke Tunabuna competed at the British Empire Games, as the Commonwealth Games was then known, in Auckland, New Zealand. Mataika won Fiji’s first Gold medal in the Shot Put event plus a Silver in the Discus event with a throw of 144 feet 4 ½ inches that stood as a Fiji record for over 40 years! Luke Tunabuna won Silver in the Javelin with a throw of 184 feet 8 ½ inches.
Fellow athlete of the 1950’s Mesulame Rakuro competed in Discus at the 1954 and 1958 British Empire Games in Vancouver and Cardiff.
Sainiana Sorowale was the first female athlete to represent Fiji at the British Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954 in Long Jump.
Ana Ramacake was the lone athlete from Fiji to compete at the Jamaica British Empire Games in 1966 in Long Jump.
Mataika Tuicakau, Luke Tunabuna, Mesulame Rakuro and Ana Ramacake are recognized for their achievements as Inductees in the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame.
