Fijian PM Sitiveni Rabuka (second left) wants to propel Fiji as a sporting hub in the region. Photo: Fiji Sports Awards
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka wants Fiji to become the sporting hub of the Pacific.
The coalition government has placed that as a serious focus, as it looks at investing in better facilities and infrastructure, Rabuka said at the revived Fiji Sports Awards in Suva last Saturday.
He said the youth and sports ministry will review existing sporting infrastructure with key stakeholders prior to recommending to cabinet key investment priority areas to ensure Fiji offer excellent facilities that would attract more international sporting events.
"Sports is an industry and our goal is to make Fiji the sporting hub of the Pacific," Rabuka said.
"We intend to catapult individual sports towards an era of professionalism with the necessary budgetary provisions to be channeled towards sports in the next financial year."
He said the government will review relevant policies such as the National Sports Policy and the Anti-Doping Policy, with focus on investments in "sports through modernizing and building more state-of-the-art sporting facilities".
"There is huge potential to harness our sporting prowess and transform sports into a major income generating industry," he added.
Fiji has hosted a number of regional and international sports events, including Super Rugby matches in 2022 and this year.
'Remittances lift families'
Rabuka highlighted in-flows from Fiji's sportsmen and women contracted abroad as one of Fiji's highest foreign exchange earners' with remittances between $FJ30 million and $FJ60 million annually.
"We know all too well what it would mean for a not just a family but a community or village when one of our own secures a sporting contract abroad," he said.
"Remittances lift families out of poverty and families are able to meet basic needs and essentials such as housing, food, education and improved medical services.
He said sportsmen and sportswomen have invested back into the country in several ways, including through real estate, land development and commercial farming to name a few.
The free promotion by the Fiji men and women sevens rugby teams attracts tourists "to our shores especially those that closely follow the sevens series".
"Our tourism industry gains from marketing mileage when our sporting teams participate in international events and international events contribute to our economy through visitor spending," he said.
Coalition will focus on people
Government, he said, will continue to address issues such as gender disparity, disability, youth empowerment and social inclusion.
Initiatives like the Pacific Sports Partnership helps create pathways for young people, especially women and girls, and government hopes to use programs like that to achieve and encourage the participation of women and girls in sports, he said.
The Fijian government also intends to invest in the development of elite athletes and also boost the level of participation in sports and physical activities supported by technical specialists.
"The National Sports Policy is being reviewed to promote the participation of all Fiji citizens irrespective of ethnicity, gender or physical and mental ability. The policy will set out our vision for sports for 2023 and beyond. It will define the actions taken to achieve our ambitious and achievable goals," he said.
"Well-founded research have concluded that regularly active individuals have lower mortality rates and there are health benefits of being physically active regardless of age, ethnicity, disability and socio-economic status.
"To help build a more active nation, government will continue to promote and develop sports and physical activities to address health issues, in particular, NCDs and obesity."
Government support
He said the Government will support Team Fiji to the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad & Tobago, the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, and the much-anticipated Paris 2024 Olympic Games next year.
Fiji's focus will also be on winning the bid to host the 2031 Pacific Games.
