Manu Samoa team bows in prayer after their 31-12 loss to Chile on Sunday morning. Photo: Supplied/Manu Samoa
Rugby
Manu Samoa has missed out on playing Italy in a rugby international clash on 22 November.
The Samoans were originally billed to meet the Italian as part of their November tour.
But Manu Samoa will be competing in the last 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification tournament at the time.
World Rugby has replaced Samoa with Chile, who defeated the Manus in a world cup qualifier last month.
Cricket
Japan has beaten Samoa by four runs in Monday morning's game at their Twenty20 World Cup qualifying tournament.
Batting first, Japan scored 162 for 6, before Samoa fell just short in the run chase.
Sean Solia top-scored for Samoa with 41 runs.
Samoa plays the United Arab Emirates in their next match in the qualifying tournament.
League
The Fiji National Rugby League has named one local player in the Fiji Bati squad for the upcoming Pacific Championships.
Keresi Maya, who plays for the Fiji Navy Albatross club, has made it into the final 20-member squad named by head coach Wise Kativerata.
Melbourne Storms' Tui Kamikamica will lead the side in their Pacific Bowl campaign against Papua New Guinea and Cook Islands.
The Bati will meet Cook Islands on 18 October in Port Moresby.
Hockey
The 2025 Pacific Cup Hockey Tournament which was planned for Honiara later this year has been cancelled.
Local media reported the Solomon Islands Hockey Federation has confirmed that the Oceania Hockey Federation made the decision due to financial challenges faced by several participating national federations.
They said this includes Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea, which are unable to send teams to this year's event.
Solomon Islands Hockey said they are disappointed as their national teams have been preparing extensively for this year's edition.
Basketball
The Vanuatu men's basketball team will return to regular five-a-side basketball for the first time in 23 years when they compete at the FIBA Melanesian Cup in Honiara.
TheVanuatu Daily Post reported the event will also serve as qualification for the 2027 Pacific Games.
Head coach Sam Lewis said the team have been training for weeks, despite facing significant challenges such as the lack of a proper facility.
Sport funding
Nauru's sport minister in its previous administration, Jesse Jeremiah, announced a major investment in the future of Nauruan sport.
Jeremiah said a new Coaches and Athletes Special Allowance (CASA) will provide structured financial support to reward hard work, commitment, and excellence.
He said behind every medal and every record are coaches and athletes who give their all - often with limited resources but unlimited dedication.
Incumbent president David Adeang said the initiative reflected the Nauruan government's vision for a strong, sustainable, and world-class sports system.
He said it's also about developing a healthy nation with programs like CASA hopefully encouraging more Nauruans to take up sport.
