Unbeatable ones
Kirtika Raju, Lautoka
In the midst of the sea a small island created history.
Beating Great Britain with 43-7 Fiji are coming home with the gold.
They may seem old, but don’t forget they’ve got the gold stronger than Winston, faster than the winds. The Kings of 7s.
Congrats boys and Ben Ryan… The unbeatable ones!
King Ryan!
Shad Alfaz Ali, Navua
Hail King Ryan. We are the champions!
Fiji has won its first ever gold medal at the Olympics and we have to thank the magician, the wizard, the tactician, the greatest ‘Ben Ryan’.
The back-to-back 7s series titles and now the Olympic gold, it’s just too much, boys. Thank you Ben for believing in the boys, for inspiring them to reach the greatest heights, and for bringing glory to our beloved nation.
To the boys, the bus (Tuisova), the beast, (Kunatani), Oscar, Nakarawa, Tuwai, Jasa, Vatemo, Viriviri, Domolailai, Taliga, Rawaca and Dakuwaqa – thank you and vinaka. You are truly the greatest!
Fiji’s gold
Param Singh, Navua
It is a great success story for us all and naturally we are thrilled to hear about our 7s heroes stupendous Olympic success.
They made us proud with their brilliant performance and let’s hope for more success stories in the future.
The win was just too perfect to be dedicated as a ‘raksha bandhan’ gift to all our sisters in Fiji.
Magnificent 12
Simon Hazelman, Savusavu
A historical occasion that will forever be carved into our history!
Considered just the one gold in the Olympics our warriors will return with 12 gold medals!
In the game of rugby 7s we have finally achieved Olympic glory!
We have confirmed to the world our status as the Kings of 7s rugby!
Extremely beautiful and most impressive! We salute and pay tribute to a remarkable and impressive effort from Ben Ryan and our magnificent 12!
Indeed a blessing to witness such a great historical event! Fiji, my Fiji!
Congratulations!
Wise Muavono, Lautoka
Congratulations to our 7s warriors for their gold medal win in Rio.
Vinaka vakalevu, for making the nation proud. We are indeed the best rugby 7s nation in the world. As promised, now I have to rain bath nude.
7s crusade victory!
Epeli Rabua, Suva
As the sun shines over Fiji, its rays shade the same colour medal which the Fijian 7s team have won themselves at the Rio Olympics.
Ben ‘the Lion’ Ryan and his champion 7s team have completed their crusade which began 3 years ago. They have won Fiji’s first ever Olympic gold medal.
Fiji’s 7s team epitomised their favourite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, that – “they could do all things through Christ who strengthened them” – they redeemed themselves after a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games a few years ago, demolishing all who came before them at the Olympics, in front of the statue of Christ in Rio.
The anticlimax final just showcased to the World, the 7s skills that only a Fijian team could display and the spectacle they created would be in any 7s coaches manual.
Fiji presented to the World that 7s has rightfully found its place in the greatest sporting event in the World – the Olympics.
Fiji’s game plan predicated on instinct and on the motto of one of their opponents, Great Britain’s special fighting units, as special as the Fijians themselves, dared and won!
Fiji – We believed and we won!
Gold medal
Neelz Singh, Lami
We have won our first Olympic gold medal in our 60-year history of appearances at the game since 1956.
Ben Ryan and his merry-men have made it possible through sheer determination, hard work and dedication. What a moment to cherish for every Fijian.
Vinaka and God bless the Fijian 7s team.
Historic gold!
Tomasi Boginiso, Nasinu
Rugby is making its return to the Olympic fold after a 92-year absence at the Rio 2016 where 12 teams lined up in the men’s sevens tournament.
Among them were hot favourites, Fiji, who had just won the country’s first ever Olympic medal. Made up of 332 islands, Fiji lies in the South Pacific Ocean, East of Vanuatu, West of Tonga and far to the north of New Zealand.
Most of the country’s population of around 900,000 lives on its two largest islands, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, which is home to the capital, Suva. The number one sport in this particular part of the world is rugby, with the national federation, the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU), boasting more than 80,000 registered members.
The country’s 15-a-side team has been ever-presents at the Rugby World Cup since its inception, reaching the quarterfinals in 1987 and 2007. Their achievements pale in comparison, however, to Fiji’s sevens team, who have dominated the global scene for several years now.
As Ben Ryan had said: “This is the best side in the world in the last 2 years, a Fijian side that plays a very high tempo, high risk game that requires enormous amount of skill and enormous amount of fitness.”
The favourites to win gold on rugby’s return to the Olympic stage, the Fijians have made history by winning the country’s first ever medal, an achievement the Pacific nation has been waiting for since its Games debut at Melbourne, Australia, in 1956.
Whereas the Fiji XV leaves something to be desired in terms of the organisation and discipline of the forwards, their half-backs and three-quarters are known for their sublime and hugely entertaining running rugby and play for some of the leading clubs in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Such invention and flair are part and parcel of rugby sevens, which has become the country’s national sport, with the Fiji sevens becoming the most feared side in the world, on account of their searing pace, magical handling skills and precise team play.
As predicted: “If we won something at the Olympics, you can just imagine what would happen: the island would not stop celebrating. Everyone in Fiji is backing the Olympics and whenever the Sevens side are on, everyone organises their household chores around the team.”
Fiji has won the Olympics. Nadi Airport would be far too small for the crowds. That’s how we look at sports in Fiji.
It is a sports-mad country with 7s at the top. We were confident and had faith in the men’s team and they have won gold.
Fiji are the reigning World Rugby Sevens Series champions, having won the competition twice in a row, achieving virtual rock star status back home and the adulation of their fans in the process. Across the Series’ 10 events around the world, from London to Hong Kong – a tournament they won for the 16th time – the rampant Fijians scored the most points (1704), the most tries (265) and the most conversions (188).
Discussing the secret to their recent success, Ben Ryan comments were: “This isn’t just a random side. It’s the best in the world.”
Fiji was undoubtedly be the team to beat at the first Olympic rugby competition since 1924, especially with some high-quality 15-a-side reinforcements poised to run out in Rio, among them Josua Tuisova and Leone Nakarawa.
Blessed with spectacular skills and formidably effective to boot, the Fijians have registered the greatest sporting triumph in the Pacific nation’s history.
For Fiji, ever Fiji! Go, Fiji go.
SODELPA
Amenatave Yaconisau, Suva
Your article ‘SODELPA better organised now; but will translate it into more votes’ by Nemani Delaibatiki (FS 10/8) is a brief highlight of SODELPA’s effort towards the 2018 election.
Whatever it is the Constitution of Fiji (sect 21) says it clearly it is their political rights to do so. Even Sitiveni Rabuka with his disheartening past is covered by that right despite the disagreement it may have caused.
It is the objective of any party or in co-operation with other political parties to prevail over the status quo in order to get into power. It’s about the effort to get more voters. Surely a massive effort but not impossible is a very optimistic outlook from Mr Rabuka.
I gather the elaborate campaign is through a door to door campaign to educate, campaign, and activate voters who were previously inactive and to lead to accept party policies whatever it may be.
In screening volunteers, the selection process should make sure candidates know the methodologies of the party in order to lure voters.
The attitudes, beliefs, emotions and needs of voters should be understood. They should be aware of management caucus, branch systems, and other structures including the electoral system and the constitution and to have a fair idea of what politics is all about.
Aristotle once said: “The end of politics is not knowledge but action. Actions that include change in standard of living whether it has improved or not, and whether income has improved too are welfare activities that need to be considered.
The choice for SODELPA is good governance or chaos.