Athletes Grateful For Scholarship

The dream is to become a doctor and athletics has given me that discipline and opportunity to pursue that dream said Team Fiji decathlon athlete Waisale Inoke.

Waisale who is Rotuman with links to Nadroga said he was grateful for being awarded in 2023 a joint Oceania Australia Foundation and Oceania National Olympic Committees Scholarship which grants him two years of academic and sports training at Neosho College in Kansas, United States of America.

"At the moment I am taking up nursing which is the longer route to achieving my dream as a doctor but this is an opportunity that I am grateful for," he said.

Waisale said with what he has picked up as an athlete has helped him stay focused on his goal especially in a new environment and new country.

"In college, I found out that qualifying for nationals especially in my chosen events like 100m was hard so I made the decision with my coach to try decathlon," he said.

"It is a challenge considering that Decathlon combines four runs, three jumps, and three throws."

Waisale said his biggest challenge was adjusting to the more challenging 400 metres and 1500 metres which are part of the event.

"But challenges are good as it builds character and allows you to mentally prepare yourself for any task," he said.

The former blue ribbon and Fiji Secondary School long jump record holder, formerly of Sigatoka Methodist High School, recently participated in the Oceania Athletics Championship going as far as the semi finals of the 100 and 200 meter events.

His older sister also represented Fiji at the 2018 Melanesian Games in Heptathlon winning a bronze medal.

Waisale says he also has a dream to hopefully represent Fiji at an Olympic Games.

"The Olympic Games is the ultimate goal for any athlete who takes up sports seriously," he said.

"To reach the Olympic Games and be a member of Team Fiji would be a goal to pursue and I hope that I will be able to continue to be a part of that reality in the future."

Meanwhile teammate and fellow scholarship recipient Melania Turaga, a former student of Jasper Willams High School in Lautoka, also expressed her excitement in being awarded a scholarship.

“This scholarship is a huge blessing not only for me but also my family,” said the Ra native who shares maternal links to Naitasiri.

“Athletics was not my first choice as a young girl as I was more into rugby but through the encouragement of my family I realised that I had a talent for athletics and it helped that I had support from some athletic greats like my coach Makelesi Bulikiobo.

"Makelesi is one of the best coaches I've trained under and one day I hope to emulate her success in the sport," she said.

Melania said the scholarship was one that would allow her to pursue her dream of one day representing Fiji at an Olympic Games and one day hopefully beat her mentor Makelesi achievements in the sport.

"While athletics has helped me get to this point, I understand that I will need to work hard to not only excel in sports but also in my studies, and I hope to make the most of my time at Neosho College.”

Melania hopes to take up Sustainable Energy studies and expand her knowledge on the subject matter.

Waisale and Melania are joined by 2023 Pacific Games High Jump gold medalist Rusiate Matai who were honoured and announced during the Oceania Athletics Championship in Suva as the recipients of the joint Oceania Australia Foundation and Oceania National Olympic Committee Scholarship.

Oceania Australia Foundation’s executive director, Helen McMurray, said she was grateful for the opportunity provided to young athletes through scholarships to study and participate in sports in the United States.

Athletes like Kaiava Francis, Younis Bese and Fane Sauvakacolo have benefitted from the joint Oceania Australia Foundation and Oceania National Olympic Committees Scholarship.

The Oceania Australia Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-political organisation working to advance health standards in disadvantaged communities across the Oceania region, with a particular focus on the Pacific Islands.

Its partnership with the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) rests on its broad offering of educational programmes promoting health and well-being via participation in physical activity, specifically targeting obesity, diabetes and heart disease and its educational courses in sports coaching. It also provides sports and academic scholarships for overseas study to promising young leaders, an important avenue for personal and professional development for young athletes from the Pacific Small Island Developing States (Pacific SIDS).

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