Mini games target
Financial woes could result in reduced number of athletes
FIJI could be sending a reduced team to the 2022 Pacific Mini Games because of financial difficulties and the challenges of preparing athletes during these difficult times.
Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) chief executive officer Lorraine Mar has admitted Team Fiji may have to send a reduced team to the 2022 Pacific Mini Games after Government advised that it did not have funds to support the team.
Fiji National Sports Commission chairman Peter Mazey confirmed there was no money for the Pacific Mini Games to members of the media last month.
“The commission has had to prioritise its funding assistance mainly because of the clash between the Pacific Mini Games and the Commonwealth Games,” Mar said.
Mar said despite the funding cut, FASANOC would field a team to the mini games in Saipan, which it considered as an important step in Team Fiji athlete development as any other games.
The Pacific Mini Games is set to run from June 17 to 25, while the Commonwealth Games will begin on July 28 to August 8, 2022.
FASANOC is hoping to be represented in the nine sports on the Pacific Mini Games program which included athletics, badminton, baseball, beach volleyball, golf, tennis, triathlon, va'a and weightlifting.
“The team may not be as large as we would hope to send, but as a member of the Pacific Games Council, particularly a founding member, we have a commitment to participate in the Pacific Mini Games. It will be an opportunity for our athletes to get out there and compete and use the Games as preparation for the Commonwealth Games."
The Pacific Mini Games in Northern Mariana Islands was initially due to take place this year before being pushed back to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally 12 sports were scheduled but the impact of Typhoon Yutu, a tropical cyclone that hit the islands in 2018, forced organisers to reduce the program to six sports before adding va'a, tennis and weightlifting to the list of sports.
Team Fiji placed third at the last Pacific Mini Games held in Vanuatu in 2017, behind New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea and will be challenged to improve this performance.