Page 34 - IB Sept-Oct 2020

Sports Sports

Fiji’s Olympic Gold medallists. Photos: Oceania National Olympic Committee

ONE YEAR TO GO: A GAME OF HOPE

FOR PEOPLE IN THE BLUE PACIFIC

By Mary Rokonadravu Olympics linked virtues of grace and beauty. The inclusion of
sevens rugby in the Olympic portfolio of sport is attributed to
Four years ago, the tiny Pacific island country of Fiji won several key events and people in both the worlds of rugby and
its very first Olympic medal, a gold, when it stormed its way the Olympics. It is easy to lose sight of this as sports manage-
through rugby’s debut year at the XXVI Olympiad in Rio de ment and administration, while known to the sporting world,
Janeiro, Brazil. It was a win for Oceania. Now, with less than is seldom of interest to the general public. However, it is
one year to go to the Tokyo Olympics, it is a good time to critical to document and remember this as collective memory,
reflect on Olympism and what it means for Oceania. Moreover, because of the difference it has made to Olympic participa-
what could it mean for this fragile and vulnerable region on tion. After all, the small island states of the Oceania region
the planet? With growing issues of the global climate crisis, did not touch an Olympic gold medal until sevens rugby was
threats of more frequent and intensifying natural hazards, included in the Games. The advocacy and lobby journey to
a long-standing health crisis, and now the COVID-19 pan- that end is something the Oceania National Olympic Commit-
demic which has been relatively slow and sporadic arriving, tees (ONOC) secretariat will hopefully document for its own
but looming nonetheless and wreaking havoc on small island promising practice, knowledge sharing and capacity building
economies, the value of sports through its epitome, Olymp- for the future. It will be an important undertaking because it
ism, is a useful vehicle to examine the value and direction of is an exercise in regionalism which the Blue Pacific needs.
human life and survival on Earth, particularly that of Pacific In summary, and back to the issue of inclusion, sevens rugby
islanders. was listed as an Olympic sport based on its growing viewer
Pacific rugby and legacy of Fiji’s Olympic win bring a mea- numbers based on the World Rugby Sevens Series which has
sure of equity organically grown a cult following, and due to the strong
There is a lot that a piece of earth and a simple ball can lobby by among others, Fijian rugby legend Waisale Serevi
do – none probably know this better than fans of rugby sevens, and ONOC President, Dr Robin Mitchell. The Oceania lobby led
particularly those who follow it religiously in the Oceania by Dr Mitchell rested on the call that the inclusion of sevens
region, the Pacific islands. Sevens rugby, the abbreviated code rugby translated to the creation of equity – it technically
extracted from the original fifteens, is a smoother, crisper, meant small island countries in the Pacific region could actu-
flamboyant, fast-paced version that thrills as its players dis- ally qualify for an Olympic sport and even win a medal. The
play skill, athleticism and the universally recognised, ancient rest is history.

34 Islands Business, September/October 2020