Review games criteria, set new bar for 2022
Athorough review should be done on Team Fiji’s participation at the Commonwealth Games in future.
We should start afresh at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Our performance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which ends today on the Gold Coast, Australia, falls far short and was a wasteful exercise.
It must be a lesson to all those concerned that we must be realistic on the criteria of selection for the four-yearly event if we are to produce results.
It’s simply unrealistic to send the biggest number of athletes ever to the Games when the majority didn’t even perform to expectation, some being eliminated in the first round.
Team Fiji comprised 45 men, 53 women, 48 officials for a total contingent of 144 and the Government, through the Fiji National Sports Commission, provided more than $1million (taxpayers money) for the preparation grant.
As of today out of the 98 athletes, only three have won medals so far and they are weightlifters Eileen Cikamatana (gold), Apolonia Vaivai (bronze) and boxer Winston Hill (bronze).
This doesn’t match, is totally disproportionate and must cease to continue.
We simply can’t continue to participate for the sake of it, making up the numbers now again and again. We should not be taking part merely because we are a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
It should not be an event where the athletes celebrate after achieving their personal best
It should not be an event where athletes prepare for the next international competitions.
It’s an arena where athletes compete for medals, learn from the experience and continue to strive for the best.
It’s tough to recover and one hardly learns if they are embarrassed on the international stage.
The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) should set a new standard for Team Fiji athletes.
They should set the bar higher than the Commonwealth Games standards
It’s one way of milking the best from our athletes to be able to perform to expectations.
We felt sorry for our athletes who were left more than 100 metres behind while others already hit the tape. We felt sorry for our swimmers who were left far behind in the heats.
We felt sorry for our badminton, squash and lawn bowlers who struggled to perform.
We felt sorry for our netters who lost all their matches. Like the International Olympic Committee, the Games Sports Foundation of the Commonwealth Games should help countries like Fiji develop their athletes. Otherwise the Commonwealth Games will be for the elites while the struggle to keep up continues for others. But first FASANOC must review criteria for the future. Athletes need to be in to compete, not just make up the numbers.