Editorial comment – Let the games begin!

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Nikotimo Tuisawaqa, second right, of Adi Maopa Secondary School competes with other runners in the intermediate boys 200m during the Coca-cola Games Maritime Zone competition at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Picture: JONACANI LALAKOBAU

After two years, we are finally here again! We are smack bang at the start of what is expected to be three exciting days of athletics action at the National Stadium in Suva. The hype is building up. The magical atmosphere that surrounds the event is inching its way back very slowly.

But it is there! The fans are headed here, into the Capital City for the 60th event. The cheer squads are ready. And the army of student athletes are raring to go. They are more than 3000 strong this year, and come from 260 schools around the country.

They want a piece of the action. They want to be here. It’s almost as if they want to be set loose at the Laucala bowl. This is it! This is what young athletes dream about. It’s what they yearn to be a part of. They are ready for their dance with the big boys and girls.

This is when the cream of our young athletes will display their potential, and show us what they are made of. The old scholars are loading social media, showing their support and allegiance. This is an event that continues to attract the imagination of thousands of Fijians.

Only the best of our high school athletes will converge on the National Stadium to test themselves. For three days, this is where thousands of people around the country will focus their attention. That’s how big this event is. It is as exciting as it is a much anticipated affair.

Athletes will be arriving in Suva in the best shape of their lives. They arrive with hours of preparation behind them, and toned muscles itching to get into action. Each will be raring to prove a point for their school, their family and fans, their old scholars and most importantly, for themselves.

Today is day one of the Fiji Secondary Schools Athletics Finals, arguably the biggest and most anticipated sporting event in the country. It brings together our top high school athletes for three days of exciting action on the track and field.

Attention will undoubtedly be on giants of athletics. In fact it is getting difficult to shrug off the impact the Fiji Finals has on the imagination of students, fans and parents. We can expect to see a kaleidoscope of colours on the field and on the stands.

Expect the stadium to be like a cauldron brimming with people from all walks of life. Expect every imaginary demarcation lines to be cast aside. One common factor binds each athlete over the next three days.

They will have the distinction of having competed at the highest level of high school athletics in Fiji. The internet and high visibility in the media have raised the profile of this event. The involvement of former students has seen a rise in spectator numbers and intensity in preparation.

So what makes the Fiji Finals special? It has to be the people. From the athlete to the support staff and everyone behind the scenes, the sponsors, members of the media, the fans and the old scholars, the food sellers, the cabbies, to the bus driver servicing the many routes around the capital.

There are many faces, hands, and brains behind what makes this annual event the great show it is today. We wish all the athletes who will be participating this week the best and hope you will have positive memories of the 2022 Fiji Finals.

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