Sport

2019 Pacific Games: Hawaii scoops gold for Tuvalu

Pacific Games table tennis para athlete Ioane Hawaii holds his gold medal with pride as daughter Maitapu looks on at USP's Laucala campus. Picture: EPELI LALAGAVESI/WANSOLWARA By EPELI LALAGAVESI Table tennis para athlete Ioane Hawaii of Tuvalu will never forget his first professional outing at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa after scooping the country’s lone gold medal so far in the men’s seated singles event. Even though this was Hawaii’s first Pacific Games outing, he has represented Tuvalu in para table tennis competitions such as the Fiji Open, Oceania Table Tennis, New Zealand Open and Vanuatu Mini-Games. Speaking…

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Solomon Islands qualifies for FIFA U17 World Cup

The jubilant U16 national soccer team from Solomon Islands after a close encounter with New Zealand in the final of the U16 Oceania Football Confederation. Picture: SUPPLIED   By CHRIS HA’ARABE The Solomon Islands U16 national soccer team has secured a place in the FIFA U17 World Cup next year in Peru, western South America. This was after they reached the grand final of the U16 Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) tournament on September 22 but losing narrowly to New Zealand in the penalty shootout 5-4. The Solomon Islands U16 head coach, Stanley Waita, said his side prepared well for the…

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Women break barriers in sports commentary

Jenessa Moli from Vanuatu TV and final-year journalism student Elizabeth Osifelo (Solomon Islands) were part of the recent Women in News and Sports (WINS) sports commentary training in Lautoka. Picture: SUPPLIED/WANSOLWARA   By ELIZABETH OSIFELO Seven women from the Pacific took part in a sports commentary training in Lautoka from August 27-31. The program is part of an initiative called Women in News and Sports (WINS ), which provides training in the Asia Pacific region for female journalists to hone their sports commentary skills in what is considered to be a male-dominated area. As part of the five-day intensive training,…

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Tough battle for Pacific neighbours

Solomon Islands player Micah Lea'alafa tries to drive the ball past a Fiji defender during the International Friendly Match between Fiji and Solomon Islands at the ANZ Stadium in Suva last week. Picture: JARED KOLI/WANSOLWARA   By CHRIS HA'ARABE It was a tightly contested battle between the Vodafone Fiji football side and Solomon Islands as they played to a one-all draw during their International Friendly Match at the ANZ Stadium in Suva last week. The match kept both sides on their toes with a goal from Micah Lea’alafa to put the Solomon Islands ahead midway through the first half. The…

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Rugby a tool for change

Former All Blacks rep Rocky Khan during an interview with Radio Pasifik today. Picture: WANSOLWARA STAFF   By MARCUS FRASER There is huge potential to develop women’s rugby in Fiji. And with professional contracts now being offered to women ruggers in New Zealand, the drive to promote rugby in other Pacific Island countries can be seen as a step in the right direction. Speaking to Wansolwara Online, former New Zealand rugby 7s fly-half Rocky Khan, who is the first Fijian of Indian ancestry and first Rotuman to represent New Zealand in sevens, said women’s rugby was making progressive strides the…

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Celebrating diversity through rugby

Sevens rugby maestro Waisale Serevi and NZ 7s rugby sensation Rocky Khan (garlanded) with the Fiji Deaf Rugby Union. Picture: USP Communications    By WANSOLWARA STAFF RUGBY has the potential to change lives and in a country like Fiji, the sport can literally bring the nation to a standstill. For rugby 7s maestro Waisale Serevi, rugby does not discriminate or divide but instead contributes to the holistic development of those who partake in the sport. Serevi delved into the issue of inclusive rugby during the Rugby for Change – Celebrating Diversity seminar at the USP Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture…

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Fiji, Georgia on a winning start in PNC campaign

Samoa maintains possession during a ruck against the Fiji Airways Flying Fijians at the ANZ Stadium in Suva on Saturday. Picture: GEORGE TOGANIVALU/WANSOLWARA   The World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2018 kicked off at the ANZ Stadium in Suva over weekend with four national teams battling it out for top honours. Home favourite Fiji Airways Flying Fijians faced stiff competition from Samoa, winning the match by a narrow margin, 24-22, with tries to overseas-based players Vereniki Goneva, Kini Murimurivalu and Henry Seniloli.  Flyhalf Ben Volavola added two successful conversions to the points tally. The captains of…

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ACS, RKS reign supreme

The ANZ Stadium was jam-packed over the past three days for the highly-anticipated Coca Cola Games, the biggest secondary schools athletics meet in the South Pacific. Picture: SUPPLIED/VITI FM   By WANSOLWARA STAFF The 2018 Coca Cola Games ended on a high note yesterday with Adi Cakobau School (ACS) taking out the girls title and Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) scooping the coveted boys title after 21 years. ACS maintained a dominant lead during the three-day meet at the ANZ Stadium in Suva, ending their athletics campaign with 19 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze medals. Lautoka-based Jasper Williams High School…

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Fiji, Solomon Islands Draw in Suva

By Elizabeth Osifelo (Photos Charles Kadamana) Fiji held Solomon Islands national team to a 1-1 draw in their first International friendly match at ANZ stadium on Thursday May 25th.. They took an lead from a powerful shot by Epeli Saukuru midway through the first half. Fiji striker Saukuru gave the hope for Fiji to claim the game from his powerful strike onto the right corner of Solomon Islands goal mouth that caught goalkeeper Philip Mango off guard.  From the start it was Solomon Islands who got three clear chances to lead the game. Their first chances came from Captain Benjamin Totori…

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Embrace Women’s Rugby

by Anaseini Civavonovono PEOPLE should abandon the archaic belief that rugby is not a sport for women, says sevens rugby coach and player Elenoa Kunatuba. Kunatuba said although the public's attitude toward women rugby players had greatly improved, there were still many who remained ignorant and continued to demean them. "Women's rugby is accepted in the international arena and is now an Olympic sport," she reasoned. "Just because we play rugby everybody stereotypes it as we're gay," she said. "It is frustrating." said the former rugby administrator. She made the comment when asked to opine on research into women's rugby…

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