PACIFIC GAMES
Touch Federation Fiji is grateful to Australian touch rugby sporting icon who has kept the Fiji Touch Dream alive for the Pacific Games by bridging their levy shortfall and enabling the full 28 member team with their six officials being part of the upcoming Pacific Games in Solomon.
Touch Federation Fiji is grateful to Australian touch rugby sporting icon who has kept the Fiji Touch Dream alive for the Pacific Games by bridging their levy shortfall and enabling the full 28 member team with their six officials being part of the upcoming Pacific Games in Solomon.
Gavin Shuker represented Australia Touch at the highest level culminating in captaining the men's open side over a number of year and winning a number of Touch World Cups along the way.
Touch Rugby Fiji President Tevita Mau said Gavin sponsored three athletes who are part of the national side to be with him in Rockhampton, the current helm of touch rugby in Australia and learn the technical aspects of the game.
"We are also grateful that he has paid the sports levies together with providing some funds for them when they got home.
"The assistance from Gavin surpasses $60k AUD and the sport of touch in Fiji is so grateful to him and his family for blessing the sport at such a time as this," he said.
Tevita said they had been struggling to pull together the necessary resources to enable the National Federation to send a full team representing the Mens, Womens and Mixed events.
"Like most sports we do not have long term sponsors and most of our athletes are tertiary students or unemployed, but we Gavin has opened up a pathway for our athletes to not only be employed but to learn more about the sport from some of the sports best in Australia," he said.
Together with Touch Federation Fiji, Gavin is looking at purchasing a block of land around 10-15 acres preferably seafront to build a property and touch fields to assist in the development of the sport in Fiji said Tevita.
"It is our prayer Gavin and his family will continue to be blessed for such generousity and we at Touch Federation Fiji will continue to work with him in developing Fiji to be a force in the Touch world," he said.
Tevita said Gavin was also part of the technical experts that were secured via Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funding that is assisting in the preparation of the touch rugby team to the Pacific Games.
Team Fiji Touch Rugby will hope reenact its gold medal performance from the 2003 Pacific Games winning both the Mens and Mixed events.
However in 2019, Team Fiji Touch Rugby had to settle bronze in the Mens and Womens event.
The sport will be played on the second week of the Games at DC Park in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Touch rugby was introduced to the Pacific Games in 2003 at Suva in Fiji. It is an optional sport for the Pacific Games program, and the tournaments include men's, women's and mixed competitions.
The 2023 Pacific Games, officially known as the XVII Pacific Games, will be a continental multi-sport event for Oceania countries and territories that is scheduled to be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands between 19 November and 2 December 2023. This will be the first time the Solomon Islands would host the Pacific Games.
