Four provinces to feature in Central Community Games
The Fiji National Sports Commission is hosting a three-day tournament for the Central division community teams next week. The inaugural Central Games will feature teams representing community sports association from Serua, Namosi, Naitasiri and Rewa.
The 60 teams will take part in volleyball, netball and touch rugby will be held across three venues from December 8 – 10. There will be men, women and mixed teams.
The central division is divided into six zones where each zone has ten teams.
Executive chairman Peter Mazey said this was to promote participation opportunities in the communities and grassroot levels.
Mazey added the same competition took place in the Western, Northern and Eastern division in October where $250,000 was allocated including the delayed Central Games. “This is about sports development and to promote community sports association,” he said.
“We don’t want to make it about the prize money. We want to make it about the sports, communities – what they have achieved. Look at our Olympic teams; where they came from, they came out of our communities.
“A lot of them give up their whole life to be a Fiji athlete. “This is to acknowledge the communities’ contribution to sports.
“For the last six years we have realised that for sports to grow we need to grow sports in our communities – they need sports association; a structured approach.”
FNSC helped set up 60 sports community association in the central-urban division and 46 in the rural areas.
Mazey added that they also have some sponsors on board and the prize money would be announced soon.
FNSC has plans to make it an annual event and later into a national competition.