The Fijiana women’s sevens rugby team have lost both pool matches at the Paris Olympics today and look set to miss the quarterfinals in the process.

Bronze medallists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Fijians lost 17-14 to Canada in their first pool game.

China then handed the Fijians an upset 40-12 thrashing.

• READ MORE: Other Paris Olympics 2024 reports

These results means Fijiana must beat New Zealand and hope to progress as one of the two best third place teams.

China displayed Fiji’s own style of play, throwing the ball around, taking the tackles and still off-loading and put on a strong defensive display when they pressure Fiji.

FBC Sports said the contribution of former coaches Osea Kolinisau and Setefano Cakau was evident in how China played.

Kolinisau and Cakau are currently coaching the Fiji men’s team and had stints as coaches with the Chinese in 2021-2022.

NZ connections
China now has the services of former New Zealand sevens rep Rocky Khan and longtime New Zealand 7s mentor Sir Gordon Tietjens.

Pool matches will continue on Tuesday, with Fiji taking on New Zealand in their third and final pool game.

Hosts France, the USA, New Zealand and Australia have recorded two wins each so far and are now confirmed for the quarterfinals.

France did not concede a point in their two games so far.

A record crowd of 66,000 fans packed into Stade de France to set a new record for a women’s rugby event.

World Rugby says that beats the previous record of 58,498 at Twickenham for England v France in 2023.

Australia’s Maddison Levi scored an incredible sevens tries in two matches to take her Olympic total to 10.

Australia got off to a flying start against South Africa in their opener, winning 34-5.

They took on Great Britain in their second outing, coming out with a 36-5 victory.

Great Britain, however, will head into day two second in the pool after they beat Ireland 21-12 in their opening game.

Strong USA start
USA got their Olympic campaign off to a strong start as they defeated Japan 36-7 in Pool C.

A 24-5 win against Brazil in their second game took them into day two unbeaten, with a showdown against France to decide the pool in store.

Hosts France thrilled the boisterous home crowd by also ending the day unbeaten after convincing wins against Brazil and Japan without conceding a point.

They won 26-0 in their opener against the South Americans before a bombarding performance against Japan ended 49-0 in their favour, scoring seven tries on their way to the Pool C summit.

World Rugby chair Sir Bill Beaumont said “after a scintillating men’s competition at these special coming of age Games for Rugby Sevens”:

“It is fitting that yet another record has been smashed. With the world’s best women’s sevens players shining brightly on sport’s biggest stage, 66,000 fans were gripped by the action, while an unprecedented broadcast and digital audience will ensure that more young people in more nations and communities will be inspired by these awesome athletes, who are amongst the best in the world in sport.”

Seeking a medal
Australia captain Charlotte Caslick says they want to win a medal this time around, having missed out on Tokyo in 2020.

“It is a part of sport that it brings highs and lows. But we have achieved a lot since then so we have definitely moved on and are really looking forward to this campaign. That loss in Tokyo has really helped us to grow.

“We have a lot of girls coming back after injuries. We just have to keep doing what we do, to keep performing. We don’t do it for recognition, we do it because we love each other and we love this sport. Hopefully, if we’re successful here we’ll go a long way.”

New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini, making a return from injury, says she is excited for her team’s chances.

“It means a lot. It’s been a tough journey but I’m so grateful to the people around me to get me back to this point. I’m so happy to be back with the team and on the big stage.

“I’m so proud to be back representing my family, everyone back in New Zealand. Wearing this black jersey means everything. It gives you superpowers.

“It has such a legacy and it’s one of the most powerful tools we can hold on to for a set amount of time. And when the time comes you give it to the next person.”

Women’s sevens rugby results from Day One:
China 40 Fiji 7
France 49 Japan 0
USA 24 Brazil 5
Australia 36 Great Britain 5
Ireland 38 South Africa 0
New Zealand 43 China 5
Canada 17 Fiji 14
France 26 Brazil 0
USA 36 Japan 7
Australia 34 South Africa 5
Great Britain 21 Ireland 12
New Zealand 33 Canada 7

One silver for Team Pasifika
The Fiji men’s sevens team has recorded the only medal so far for Team Pasifika.

They won silver in the competition, following their 28-7 final loss to France on Sunday morning (NZ time).

Meanwhile, Fijian captain Jerry Tuwai has apologised to Fijian fans for the final loss, saying they had let fans down because they had aimed to win the gold medal again.

Speaking at the post match press conference, Tuwai said France was just too good.

“I just want to thank the fans back home for the support and the prayers, we would like to apologize for falling short to a very good French side, they deserve it, thanks very much for the support through the years and we’ll see you back home,” he said.

Head coach Osea Kolinisau added to that and said they will now focus on the HSBC SVNS Series, which kicks off later this year.

In other sports:

PNG and Tonga fail in boxing
Papua New Guinea’s John Ume is out of the Paris Olympics after he was beaten in his preliminary bout on Sunday morning (NZ Time).

Team PNG said Ume, who fought in the men’s 63.5 kg category, lost to Cuba’s Erislandy Alvarez Borges.

Borges stopped Ume in the second round.

Team PNG said Ume was an inspiration.

“John received the call to join the team just seven days before his bout, following an unfortunate injury to a boxer from Solomon Islands,” Team PNG said in a statement.

“Despite not being in peak form due to the unexpected nature of his invitation, John answered the call with pride and courage. John faced the formidable Cuban athlete Erislandy Alvarez Borges in his Olympic debut.

“Alvarez, a highly accomplished boxer with a silver medal from the 2023 World Championships and an undefeated professional record, proved to be a tough opponent.

“John fought valiantly, showcasing the spirit and tenacity that define Team PNG. However, in the second round, the referee stopped the match, awarding the victory to Alvarez.

“John’s participation in the Olympics, despite the short notice, is a testament to his resilience and dedication.”

Team PNG added that despite the outcome, Ume’s participation in Paris 2024 has made his country proud.

“Team PNG stands proud of John’s remarkable effort and unwavering resilience on the Olympic stage.”

And Tongan female boxer Fe’ofa’aki Epenisa also lost her first fight.

Aki, the island kingdom’s first female boxer to fight at the Games, could not upset Vietnam’s Thi Linh Ha in the women’s 60 kg category.

Linh won the fight 5-0 on the scorecards.

ONOC says the USA based boxer fought well and tried her best, which was not enough to get her into the next stage.

Boxing continues tomorrow, with gold medal finals also on the programme.

Swimmers hit the pool
Pacific Island swimmers at the Paris Olympics have been in action in the pool over the first two days of competition.

ONOC says the list included Lanihei Connolly of the Cook Islands in the women’s 100m Breaststroke Preliminary heats..

Connolly competed in Heat 2, finishing her race with a time of 1 minute 10.45 seconds.

Tonga’s Alan Uhi swam in the men’s 100m Backstroke, finishing with a time of 1 minute 0.62 seconds.

The Tonga Association of National Olympic Committee commended Uhi’s performance.

“Our youngest Olympian to Paris 2024 swam in the first Heat of the men’s 100m backstroke at the Paris La Defense Arena!

“Great attempt at your first Olympic appearance, certainly won’t be your last!”

FSM’s Tasi Limtiaco completed his 100m Breaststroke event in 1 minute :4.14 seconds.

American Samoa’s Micah Masei competed in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke, finishing third in his heat with a time of 1 minute 05.95 seconds.

Swimming continues tomorrow.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento passed away at the age of 82 after a brave battle with colon cancer in Brazil on 20 December 2022. Known as “O Rei”, “The Black Pearl”, and “Pelé”, he was an ambassador, businessperson, community worker to the world, cultural force, leader, soccer player, and politician.

In this article, I write about why I admired Pelé as a child.

Writing as an adult and activist, I also pay tribute to Pelé and articulate why “O Rei” remains an important teacher of decoloniality and decolonisation in contemporary Oceania.

• READ MORE: Brazilian sports legend Pele laid to rest in Santos cemetery
• A lack of respect’: Brazil footballers fail to show up to Pelé’s funeral
• Pelé in Africa: The man, the myth, the legend

Pelé in my childhood in the 1970s
I caught brief glimpses of Pelé’s soccer genius in sports highlights on Aotearoa television news as a child in the 1970s.

I did not grasp the tactical, technical, or strategic intricacies of professional soccer when watching Pelé play for the New York Cosmos as a child. But I did see Pelé’s genius with a soccer ball on television. I remember seeing him play with creativity, joy, and imagination.

Pelé brought joy into my difficult childhood.

Like other Pacific Islanders of his generation, my father was a born-again rugby supporter who did not rate football as a sport. But even he would marvel at O Rei’s exploits on Aotearoa television when Pelé appeared.

Pacific people recognised Pelé’s genius — just as they recognised the extraordinary gifts of Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring.

Years before the formation of the English Premier League, I grew to love watching the great British players representing the mighty first division English clubs. Aotearoa television would play a weekly English first division match, and we always received televised, free- to-air coverage of FA Cup Finals in the 1970s and 1980s.

I came to love Division One English club football in the 1970s and 1980s.

An Al Jazeera tribute to Pelé.

Historically, Aotearoa has always had a strong affinity with British football. Despite loving the English game, I saw that Pelé played soccer in a radically unique way.

In later years, I would understand that Pelé played an Afro-Brazilian style of football known as “jogo bonito”, or, the beautiful game — characterised by creativity and improvisation by individual players; off the ball movement; one touch passing; samba like team rhythm and tempo, and superlative dribbling, passing, and attacking movements on the ground and in the air by the entire team.

I watched documentaries about Pelé as a child and a teen when they appeared on Aotearoa television. But I was too young to see the televised, in-colour spectacle of “jogo bonito” performed by Alberto, Gerson, Jairzinho, Pele, or Rivellino at Mexico City when Brazil beat Italy 4-1 to win the 1970 World Cup. I would only watch these mighty players in the 1970 World Cup after Sky TV played classic matches.

Pelé, Brazil, and ‘jogo bonito’ in 1982
But I did witness the “jogo bonito” performed by the 1982 Brazilian side that featured Eder, Falcao, Junior, Socrates, and Zico. Although this side did not win the 1982 World Cup, they remain the greatest sporting team I have ever witnessed — they performed art and played soccer simultaneously.

Aotearoa’s mighty All Whites played this Brazilian side in the group stages of the 1982 tournament. The team also got to meet Pelé in person when O Rei visited the Aotearoa team changing room before the match.

I was too young to understand that the 1982 side played a style of Afro-Brazilian soccer that continued the legacy of the beautiful game begun by Didi, Garrincha, Pelé, and Jairzinho long years before. Pelé was one of the innovators of this style of play in Brazil.

Engaging with Pelé as an adult
As an adult, I developed a fuller understanding of Pelé, his life, and his historical context.

1. Pelé was born only 53 years after the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888 into an Afro-Brazilian family who often struggled to put food on the table. (Pelé writes about his childhood and the hardships he endured in his 2007 autobiography.)
2. The Black Pearl’s Afro-Brazilian people occupied the lowest socio-economic positions in Brazilian society.
3. Even today, Afro-Brazilians face discrimination in employment, the justice system, and day-to-day life in Brazil. The Brazilian police still target Afro-Brazilian male youth for violence even today.
4. Opposing team’s fans made monkey noises — whether Pelé played in Brazil or around the world with his club, Santos. Despite his popularity, Pelé was a target of racism.
5. Pelé’s Brazilian government prevented him from playing soccer in Europe by making him a “national treasure”. In consequence, Pelé could not sell his labour to European clubs. Critics have stated that this would never have happened to a white Brazilian.
6. Brazilians accused Pelé of getting too close to figures in the Brazilian dictatorship of 1964-1985 — such as General Medici.
7. Pelé’s former national teammate, Paulo Cesar Lima, said in the 2021 documentary Pelé that he loved Edson, but Lima also said he felt Pelé functioned as a “submissive Black man” during the height of the dictatorship repressions in 1969. Lima felt a statement by Pelé against the dictatorship in the late 1960s would have “gone a long way”.
8. Brazilian journalist Juca Kfouri stated that Pelé did not have a guarantee that the Brazilian regime would not torture him if he did speak out.
9. In Africa, ordinary people treated Pelé as a son when O Rei playing there in the late 1960s. Pelé remains a figure of Trans-Atlantic Black unity in Africa, the US, and in other parts of the Black Diaspora.
10. Apartheid security forces prevented Pelé from leaving an airport when he visited South Africa in the 1960s. Pelé swore he would never return until South Africa was free from Apartheid. He did return in the 1990s — to spend time with Nelson Mandela.
11. Pelé was a Goodwill Ambassador for the Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992.
12. He was a Minister for Sport in Brazil.
13. He was an ambassador for the UN, UNICEF, and UNESCO during his lifetime — always seeking to forge relationships with children.
14. He endured business failures.
15. He refused to recognise a daughter born out of wedlock.
16. Pelé was a significant cultural force in Brazil — for good and for bad.
17. He was a football genius. Football journalists such as Tim Vickery have spoken of Pelé’s soccer skills — Edson’s ability with both feet; acceleration; skills in the air; passing talents; unselfishness; football intelligence, and his psychological strength.

Pelé’s passing in the media
Since his untimely passing, television news networks such as Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and Television New Zealand have all honoured Pelé’s cultural, historical, political, and sporting legacy.

Similarly, print media in Aotearoa, Australia, Brazil, Britain, France, and South Africa have represented Pelé as a “cultural icon”, “hero”, “innovator”, “giant of sport”, an “artist”, a “genius”, and a “fine, humble, and warm human being”.

Print media sources in France and the US have also expressed criticism of Pelé for not doing more against the Brazilian dictatorship.

Sources in Brazil have criticised Pelé for not taking more of a public stand against racism in Brazil and the world.

Pelé’s aesthetics
Brazilian star Neymar wrote a moving tribute for O Rei after the great man died. In one part of his tribute, Neymar stated that Pelé transformed soccer into art. I agree with Neymar’s insight.

If one watches Pelé on film today, one sees a kinetic aesthetics of balance, gesture, grace, intelligence, power, speed, rhythm, and style — whether Pelé was in the air, in space, or in a crowd of players. One observes Pelé performing an aesthetics of creativity, joy, and improvisation. I have no doubt Pelé’s parents, coaches, friends, and teammates in Brazil all nurtured his aesthetics.

Simultaneously, I am in no doubt that Pelé’s aesthetic genius was a gift given him by his ancestors and by his historical experience of being Afro-Brazilian.

I am not Afro-Brazilian and do not pretend to understand the language of decoloniality and decolonisation Pelé performed in living motion on a soccer field. But I am convinced Pelé performed an aesthetics of Afro-Brazilian being, decolonisation, decoloniality, living, and expressing in his every movement on the soccer field.

Pelé performed the history of his ancestors on the soccer stage.

Pelé’s lessons for Oceania
In conclusion, Pelé taught me five things as a Pacific person in Aotearoa.

1. struggle to embrace joy and freedom in your life,
2. always extend solidarity to those engaged in the Black struggle,
3. remember the struggle for justice in Aotearoa, the Moana, Palestine, or West Papua are one with the struggle Black people face around the world,
4. always look for the talents and potential in your own Moana peoples, and
5. never be ashamed of your Oceanian ancestors, your genealogy, or your history.

Despite his handful of personal failings, Pelé remains one of my great teachers in decolonial Oceania.

The author, Tony Fala, acknowledges the lives of Brazilian football greats Garrincha, Pelé, and Socrates as the inspiration for this article. He also pays tribute to Pacific peoples across Oceania who believe in soccer as a sport that embraces emancipation, participation, struggle, and unity.

Pacific athletes have won a total of 13 medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, split among six nations.

Samoa won the region’s only gold, through weightlifter Don Opolenge and the nation’s lifters also won three silver medals.

They also gained a silver in boxing.

• READ MORE: Other Pacific Commonwealth Games reports

Fiji won four medals overall, two of them in the rugby sevens, but there will be some disappointment that neither team could win their respective finals.

Weightlifting brought the only medals for Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Vanuatu gained a bronze from beach volleyball, and Niue gained its first-ever Games medal since being able to compete since 2002, with a boxing bronze.

Full list of Pacific medals:

Fiji (4)
Silver: Fiji men’s rugby sevens team

Silver: Fiji women’s rugby sevens team

Bronze: Taniela Rainibogi, weightlifting men’s 96 kg

Bronze: Naibili Vatunisolo, women’s discus throw F44/64

Nauru (1)
Bronze: Maximina Uepa, weightlifting women’s 76 kg

Niue (1)
Bronze: Duken Tutakitoa-Williams, boxing men’s heavyweight

PNG (1)
Silver: Morea Baru, weightlifting men’s 61 kg

Samoa (5)
Gold:Don Opeloge, weightlifting men’s 96 kg

Silver: Vaipava Ioane, weightlifting men’s 67 kg

Silver: Jack Opeloge, weightlifting men’s 109 kg

Silver: Feagaiga Stowers, weightlifting women’s +87 kg

Silver: Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, boxing heavyweight

Vanuatu (1)
Bronze: Miller Pata/Sherysyn, Toko Beach volleyball women’s

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Pacific Nations could hold sway this weekend as the World Rugby vote for a chairman takes place between England’s Bill Beaumont and Agustín Pichot of Argentina, setting the tone for future development.

However, the vote has not been without controversy, especially where Fiji is concerned.

Fiji has been at the centre of attention after being forced to withdraw their nomination, Francis Kean, from World Rugby’s all-powerful executive committee.

READ MORE: Trad turkeys of World Rugby unlikely to vote for Christmas on election day

His manslaughter conviction, allegations of homophobia while he was head of Fiji’s prison service, and discrimination were laid bare in The Sunday Times in the United Kingdom and by Pacific Rugby Players Welfare head Dan Leo, who wrote a scathing press release condemning his nomination.

Confirming Kean’s withdrawal this week, World Rugby said in a statement: “While it is important to stress that any allegations must be validated, following dialogue with World Rugby, the Fiji Rugby Union recognises the seriousness of the allegations made and the need for them to be fully investigated, and that it is in the best interests of the sport that Mr Kean steps down from the council and his executive committee candidature be withdrawn.”

However, Kean, who is Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s brother-in-law remains chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union.

“The Pacific nations are in a position now where they can use the situation for a bit of leverage, if it is okay for the incumbents to start offering out incentives or dangling carrots, whatever you want to call it,” SkyTV rugby commentator Tony Johnson, who has covered a lot of Pacific rugby, told Pacific Media Watch.

Possible kingmakers
“So, they are suddenly in a situation where they can be kingmaker.

“It is an intriguing situation that has arisen. The Kean situation has perhaps made changes a little bit possible.

“Given that his vote was going to support the status quo [Bill Beaumont and Bernard Laporte], and I’m not sure why they would do that.

“But it maybe opens it up again, it is a unique situation. The battle lines between north and south have been drawn so you have the six nations driven very much by England and France with everyone else falling into line behind them.

“And then you’ve got the SANZAR [South Africa, New Zealand and Australia] nations on the other side, so for me it is going to be the unions who are so often referred to as the ‘smaller nations’. it’s not a name that reflects their contribution to the game but that’s what people tend to call them,” he said.

The powers in rugby get two votes and the lesser nations one vote.

“Well, it’s always been lopsided. You’ve got to hope whether there is a change in thinking brought about by this current vote, then the voice will be greater,” Johnson said.

“The big question now is what happens with Fiji’s vote. I have no idea why, but Fiji was going to vote for the Bill Beaumont and Bernard Laporte ticket.

“He [Kean] was going to sit on the world rugby executive, I’m not sure what is going to happen now.

“Whether they reassess their position, who they are going to vote for, I think that is going to be quite important.”

Status quo favourites
According to him the status quo looked odds on favourite at the moment.

“If it were a presidential race then I would say Beaumont is ahead, but that can change,” he said before adding, “i’ve got too much respect for the Pacific nations to tell them who to vote for, they should vote for whatever is good for them.

“As I say, they can use this situation for some leverage, to win some concessions.

“Then I think it’s okay for those countries whose votes they are going to need to start laying out a few conditions.

“They’ve been plenty of promises broken in the past.”

Asked how he thought SANZAR would vote, he said: “You would think they [SANZAR nations] would vote for Pichot, I don’t think there is anything to be gained from backing the status quo.

“The worry I have is that SANZAR doesn’t always present a united front. They always say they will, but it hasn’t always worked that way.

‘Pichot is the guy’
“If we genuinely want to change the landscape of the game and make it more equitable, level the playing field, then personally I think Pichot is the guy.”

But whatever happened, both Pichot and Beaumont had rugby politics to contend with, he said.

“Don’t get me wrong, Bill Beaumont is a very nice guy but he has been hamstrung in what he would like to do by rugby politics,” Johnson added.

The vote is to take place on Sunday.

Nominated for chairman: Beaumont and Pichot

Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont is standing for a second term and has been nominated and proposed by the Fédération Française de Rugby and seconded by the Fiji Rugby Union.

Vice-Chairman Agustín Pichot (Union Argentina de Rugby) was nominated and proposed by Unión Argentina de Rugby and seconded by Rugby Australia and Sudamérica Rugby.

Nominated for vice-chairman: Bernard Laporte

Fédération Française de Rugby President Bernard Laporte has been nominated and proposed by the Rugby Football Union and seconded by Federația Română de Rugby.

Where contested, chairman and vice-chairman candidates must achieve a simple majority of the votes held by the members of council present, in line with the electoral process set out under the bylaw. The vote numbers will be published.

Executive committee nominations:

Eight nominations (now seven) have been received for the seven available positions on the World Rugby Executive Committee

Mark Alexander (South African Rugby Union), nominated and proposed by Rugby Africa and the South African Rugby Union and seconded by New Zealand Rugby and the South African Rugby Union.

Khaled Babbou (Rugby Africa), nominated and proposed by Rugby Africa and seconded by the South African Rugby Union and the Fédération Française de Rugby.

Bart Campbell (New Zealand Rugby), nominated and proposed by New Zealand Rugby and seconded by the South African Rugby Union.

Gareth Davies (Welsh Rugby Union), nominated and proposed by the Scottish Rugby Union and seconded by the Welsh Rugby Union.

John Jeffrey (Scottish Rugby Union), nominated and proposed by the Welsh Rugby Union and seconded by the Irish Rugby Football Union.

*Ratu Vilikesa Bulewa Francis Kean (Fiji Rugby Union), nominated and proposed by the Fiji Rugby Union and seconded by the Fédération Française de Rugby. (Now withdrawn)

Bob Latham (USA Rugby), nominated and proposed by USA Rugby and seconded by Rugby Americas North.

Brett Robinson (Rugby Australia), proposed and nominated by Rugby Australia and seconded by the Unión Argentina de Rugby.

*Ratu Vilikesa Bulewa Francis Kean (Fiji Rugby Union), nominated and proposed by the Fiji Rugby Union and seconded by the Fédération Française de Rugby – but now withdrawn after The Sunday Times report.

To be elected, executive committee nominees need to be one of the seven candidates who win the highest number of votes.

The chairman, vice-chairman and executive committee will be elected for a period of four years commencing immediately after the results are announced by the auditor to council on May 12.

World Rugby must adopt a “one country one national team” in world competitions as it is done in the Olympics and all the other world sports, says the prime minister of Samoa who is also his nation’s rugby chairman.

This means the United Kingdom must have one rugby team to incorporate England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the future.

Samoa Rugby Union chairman, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, says this in response to the controversial League of 12 competition proposed by World Rugby that will ultimately marginalise Pacific teams and poorer rugby unions.

READ MORE: World Rugby reveals plans for nations championship

“We have perpetuated this absolute nonsense – of four national teams by the United Kingdom – for so long and the worst part is the silence from the older unions like South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in the Southern Hemisphere. Their silence speaks volumes,” said Tuilaepa, who will attend his first World Rugby Council meeting in Dublin in a few weeks.

“Rugby is a 20th century sport, where the colonial mindset is a thing of the past. So as long as this abnormality continues in World Rugby, with four national teams for the United Kingdom alone, the voting power will always be skewed in favour of the kind of decision-making that is not inclusive and is harmful to the best interests of the sport internationally.”

Tuilaepa said the new league means that not only are Pacific teams excluded, but all other rugby playing nations will be relegated to second class status.

“Which is contrary to the often-proclaimed world rugby objectives of growing the sport internationally; and to care for the welfare of our 9 million rugby players; and sustain the interest of over 300 million rugby fans worldwide,” he said.

‘Breeding farms’
“This new concept will treat Tier 2 Unions as mere breeding farms for the Rich 12 to pick and choose players from.

“Then on top of that, players aged 20 years in 2022, at the height of their careers in the island teams will be denied the opportunity to play top rugby for the whole period of 12 years.”

A “one nation one national team” policy is one of three major changes Tuilaepa wants to raise the quality and incorporate fairness in to competitions, for the sportsmen and sportswomen as well as the unions themselves.

Firstly, the eligibility rules should be more liberal. Like those adopted by World Rugby League.

The best approach for Tier 2 nations is for member unions to pick the best players for their test matches then allow unselected players to play for the country of their roots. In this way, competitiveness is maintained and the competition becomes more exciting for the fans worldwide.

Secondly, the gate-sharing of the amateur days of rugby, in which the host union takes all, should be replaced with a more professional sharing ratio of 50/50 for the visitors and host team, for any competition.

“This will ensure a more balanced distribution of the gate takings for games held in rich or poor nations.

Gate sharing
“If this gate sharing is modernised to a sharing ratio that appropriately reflects the professional era we have long been in, the revenue derived from the sweat of our island players when touring the super-rich venues of England is enough to meet our yearly budget for every annual tournament we participate in, every year in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said.

“Then Tier 2 nations should never have to resort to or be branded as beggars, depending on handouts.

“The current annual tours by Tier 2 nations only serve to fill the pockets and replenish the already fat bank accounts of the Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, French and Italians every year and our small Tier 2 Unions continue to struggle, year in and year out, with huge bank overdrafts.”

Tuilaepa also suggested establishing a Tribunal “by law to adjudicate on complaints” raised by affected members.

“Perhaps it is time for a world tribunal, established especially in a neutral venue like “The Hague”, to adjudicate on contentious issues that are so blatantly wrong and which destroy the spirit of sportsmanship for millions of the world’s rugby youths of today that will become world leaders of tomorrow.

“Their hypocrisy is very clear. We can see it’s just lip service when there is talk of development for Tier 2 Nations.

“The ‘do as I say and not as I do’ syndrome is alive and well in this popular sport of world rugby.

‘Greed and selfishness’
“The inclusion of Italy and the United States, [which] are not in the top 12 world rankings, clearly points to greed and selfishness.”

“A better alternative to consider would be to stage two competitions – a Tier 1 competition to include the top 12 ranked teams in the world and a Tier 2 competition to include the next 12 teams, chosen on the basis of their ranking.

“At the end of the season the worst performing four Teams in the Tier 1 competition move down from Tier 1 and the best performing four Teams from Tier 2 move up to Tier 1.
He also suggested that all participating unions must receive broadcast (rights) compensation payments, plus gate sharing.

“This is a more positive pathway for Tier II rugby nations to move up the ladder in world rugby.”

This article by Talamua chief editor Lance Polu is republished by the Pacific Media Centre with permission.

It is just under a year since the Tongan government assured the Pacific Games Council that it was fully committed to hosting the 2019 Games.

But the Tongan government said this week it would stand by its decision to not host the regional sporting event.

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva made the announcement during a meeting with Pacific Games Council president Vidhya Lakhan.

Lakhan asked for a meeting with the government to see whether it would change its mind about withdrawing from the Games.

Pohiva asked the PGC to endorse the government’s decision and to consider having another country host the 2019 Games.

Samoa has already lodged a submission to host the Games in place of Tonga.

In reiterating the government’s decision, the Prime Minister once again cited economic reasons as the basis for withdrawing.

He based his original shock decision on a 2013 report on the consequences of holding the Games.

During the meeting with Lakhan, Pohiva said there were more important matters in Tonga which needed the government’s attention.

In late June 2016, Lakhan and PGC executive director Andrew Minogue flew to Nuku’alofa to assess the state of preparations for Tonga’s hosting of the 2019 Pacific Games.

During the visit the Tongan government expressed its full support for hosting the 2019 Pacific Games.

Lakhan also received extensive briefings from the staff of the Tongan Pacific Games Organising Committee on the development of the sports and marketing programmes.

“The Pacific Games Council is pleased the Prime Minister is now involved in overseeing the Tongan government’s commitment to hosting the 2019 Pacific Games and providing the necessary facilities and funding support to stage a successful Games,” Lakhan said after the PGC visit in 2016.

Dr Philip Cass is a journalist and media academic contributing to Kaniva News. This article is republished with permission.

• Lakhan visit Tonga on update for 2019 Pacific Games
• Samoa bids for Pacific Games

The proud nation of Fiji is awaiting the arrival of the Fiji 7s team who made history last Friday by winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal for the country. The team will return from Rio and arrive in Fiji on Sunday.

According to Fiji Village the country will hold a victory celebration on Monday, August 22, which has been reserved as a public holiday.

Plans for the parade are being coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Fiji Rugby Union.

The government has already announced that the players will get $30,000 each for winning the gold medal at the Rio Olympics.

No easy journey
The team’s coach, Ben Ryan, told Sky Sports News HQ that it had not been an easy journey to get the team where it was today.

“Day one was no money – I was not paid for five months. The union in Fiji had gone bankrupt and World Rugby had stopped any money because they were worried where it was going. We had nothing really, I was paying for the petrol for the bus to take the boys to training.

“Fast forward three years and we have got a full-time programme, we’ve got overseas coaches, we are double back-to-back world champions, and we have won Olympic gold all in the space of 24 months.”

Ryan will return to Fiji with the team but plans on moving back to England soon.

He said his time in Fiji is a moment in his career he would never forget.

The Pacific nation’s leading rugby organisation, Samoa’s Rugby Union, has hosted its first Samoa Women’s Rugby Conference and has announced it will be making this an annual event.

The conference was held earlier this month to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8 in the capital Apia. It highlighted the importance of supporting and encouraging the country’s women in rugby.

The SRU’s women’s development officer Toluiva Keneti says the event’s main focus was to address the issue of gender imbalance prevalent in the sport.

“We are looking at using rugby as a tool to break barriers and stereotyping in the community, especially for women playing rugby,” she said.

Senior programme officer for the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development Robert Wong Sin says there are numerous cultural barriers that contribute to the impediment of women’s participation in rugby but he believes things are changing.

“The idea that ‘rugby’s a man’s sport’ or those stereotypes that women are too fragile… those barriers are slowly starting to break down.

“Families are embracing the idea of having their girls participate in more physical sports,” he says.

Room for improvement
Wong Sin says although things are getting better, “there’s still a lot of room for improvement and definitely lots more room for participation”.

The SRU Women’s Rugby Conference took place over the course of two days and brought in 15 female secondary school teachers to partake in workshops to become coaches, referees and sports administrators in their schools.

According to SRU there are currently just over 500 registered female rugby players in Samoa but Keneti says the union lacks female coaches and referees and believes conferences like these will increase female contribution to the sport.

Samoan National Rugby League (NRL) game development manager Gabrielle Apelu is the country’s last remaining pioneer of Samoan women’s rugby and says she understands the challenges of sportswomen best because of her background in rugby but believes Samoa is given a bad rap from New Zealand on issues of gender equality, especially in sport.

“Most Western philosophies that categorise women and barriers to sport never take into consideration cultural values and standards and quantify results in Western terms which are very often misleading and badly interpreted.

“In this day and age there is no stigma. What changes are women’s priorities,” Apelu says.

Chairwoman of the Samoa Women in Sports organisation Nynette Sass says as Samoan women grow up their domestic responsibilities influence their decisions and their focus shifts to their family.

Sports active when young
“Girls are usually active in sports when young, but progress to refrain from sports as they get up to the university level to focus more on studies. By the time they are in the workforce, they’re required to work and prioritise their families and all other obligations ahead of themselves, hence there is no time to do what is deemed at times as frivolous activities.”

United Nations Samoa representative Mele Maualaivao says financial challenges are also a contributing factor to sports lacking female involvement.

“If women’s sports were able to be the great income earner that they are for men, many more young women would be encouraged to play professionally,” Maualaivao says.

Nynette Sass says encouraging women to play rugby also has health benefits for the nation.

“Samoa is waking up to the realisation of the bad effects of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating of processed food with increasing numbers of people falling prey to Non Communicable Diseases (NCD). Lately the message has really hit home with the increase in cancer deaths.”

According to the World Health Organisation half of all adults in Samoa are at high risk of developing NCDs such as cancer, diabetes and obesity. A report by the Samoan government last year showed that cases of high blood pressure and obesity have almost doubled in the past 10 years.

Domestic violence
Keneti, Maualaivao and Wong Sin are taking their gender balance message beyond rugby and sport. They are also encouraging women to take a stand against domestic violence through their initiatives.

A study carried out by the WHO last year found that from the 1640 women aged between 15 and 49 years surveyed 65 per cent of respondents reported violence that was either physical, emotional or sexual.

According to Wong Sin, initiatives through sport are the most efficient and effective way to strive toward addressing issues like gender equality.

“In sport there should be no discrimination. Sport encourages team building and character development and develops leadership. So we feel having this forum sustained over the next few years will encourage women to take essential positions not only on the field but also in the background and contributing to sports development overall.”

Keneti says initiatives like the SRU conference are educating women to stand up to violence and encouraging women to play alongside men.

This, she says, nurtures a sense of equality, which can build confidence to face any environment and to “never go silent”.

“This is not just about rugby itself, it’s not about a rugby ball, not about how famous rugby can become in Samoa: it is about educating women that it is a game for all,” she says.

Maualaivao believes “it is an exciting time to be a woman in Samoa,” and says she is optimistic about bringing change in attitudes toward women’s issues in Samoa.

“Any time a woman is asked to think of herself as a woman first, it can bring enlightenment to her situation and to her understanding of the challenges she may face.

“Empowerment of women is key to all other aspects of gender equality being addressed.”

Anuja Nadkarni is a journalism graduate from AUT and is completing her Honours degree in Communication Studies. She is currently on the Asia-Pacific Journalism course.

Eight hours a day of free-to-air New Zealand content is on offer to Pacific countries in a new broadcasting initiative backed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

Prime Minister John Key announced the plan at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Summit in September.

But just how this plan will roll out was the focus of a seminar at AUT University last week.

“New Zealand has a proud image to protect in the Pacific, but the Pacific now is crowded space. For example, over the last 10 to 15 years the Chinese presence is a lot more pervasive in the Pacific,” says New Zealand Economic Ambassador in the Pacific, Matua Shane Jones.

“Broadcasting is a great way for the interests and values that New Zealanders hold dear to be projected into the Pacific, after all there is an enormous Pasifika community now living in Aotearoa.”

Consultant working on the project Tony O’ Brien says the project is more than just providing content.

“Of course we want to help them and encourage them to produce more local content, and how we’re doing that is we’re giving them camera equipment, camera kits to encourage them to do more local content in their territories,” he says.

The Pacific Cooperation Foundation will run the initiative, with content being available as early as next year.

Reporter/Editor: Alistar Kata, contributing editor of the Pacific Media Centre’s Pacific Media Watch project.

Interviewees:
Matua Shane Jones
Tony O’Brien
Marion Crawshaw

Video clip sources:
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Television New Zealand

News story: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/region-nz-media-content-aid-project-gears-pacific-broadcasters-9489

(CC) Pacific Media Centre, School of Communication Studies, AUT University, Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. www.pmc.aut.ac.nz