THE national under-18 Fiji girls and boys hockey teams have 20,000 reasons to smile before their departure for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Oceania Qualifiers in the South Pacific Island of Vanuatu. A $20,000 donation from the Fiji National Sports Commission will help further develop young players as the nation continues to improve its international hockey reputation.
Both the boy's and girl's teams will be competing in the event, although the girls have a stronger chance of qualifying for the Youth Olympic Games, following the withdrawal of Samoa and Australia from the girl's competition. The girls will have to beat either New Zealand or Vanuatu to qualify.
Team coach Tai Smith said her players were ready to put their bodies on the line for the country. "This donation is a big boost for, not only us, but for the youths of the country," she said. "Our players have given up their time for almost half the year to prepare for this event because it's for the country."
Fiji Sports Council Commission chairman Peter Mazey said they were devoted to help the youths of the country when it comes to sports. "The funding from the commission is all about developing the youths of the country so that they can become champions one day," he said. "This is the first major funding for the year and it fits with everything that we have planned for the year."
The Sports Council's aim is to inject more funds into sports and teams or players that would be competing in qualifiers or ranking events. "Anybody going overseas should have a really good reason to ask for funding and that is if they are either going to a qualifying event or where their ranking will improve," added Mazey.
