Tuwai, Nagasau flagbearers in Tokyo
Like the Fiji SUN had predicted World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Decade, Jerry Tuwai is one of our flagbearers during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Japan.
This was confirmed yesterday by FASANOC also indicating the female flagbearer is Rusila Nagasau, the captain of the Team Fiji women’s rugby sevens team.
Tuwai was a member of the gold medal winning rugby sevens men’s Team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where rugby sevens made its Olympic debut.
Nagasau also competed at the Rio Olympics.
This is yet another milestone for the Team Fiji men’s sevens captain to the Tokyo Olympics.
The 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year made his debut for Fiji at the 2014 Gold Coast Sevens and has gone on to win three World Series titles, an Olympic gold medal in 2016, and is a three-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year nominee.
Tuwai is certainly one of Fiji’s most prolific sevens rugby athletes to don Fiji’s jersey.
Jerry not only brings with him exceptional talent, courage under fire, athleticism and flair but also humility, friendship, excellence and respect. Jerry truly personifies the Olympic Values.
He is the only Fijian player to have played in five straight Hong Kong titles (2015 – 2019) as well as being a two-time Series winner (2015 and 2019), as well as a Commonwealth Games Silver medallist.
Nagasau has been on the sporting scene since 2003 with football and switched codes to rugby in 2007.
She was instrumental in Fiji qualifying for the 2016 Olympics where she scored four tries in the 2015 Oceania Women’s Sevens Championship against Samoa in the final.
She has been part of Fiji Women’s Rugby Union from when they started and has remained with rugby despite numerous opportunities to return to football.
Nagasau is a disciplined player, on and off the field. She maybe the eldest member of the women’s team, but her fitness, commitment and experience is second to none.
She is part of the Fiji Rugby Development volunteer team that carries out Rugby focused community outreaches.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in March 2020 the option of having a male and female competitor carrying their country’s flag at the opening ceremony.
“We have changed the rules to allow National Olympic Committees to nominate a female and a male athlete to jointly bear their flag during the Opening Ceremony,” said IOC in a press statement.
With this initiative, the IOC is sending another extremely strong message to the world that gender balance is a reality.