Leading by example and encouraging a more proactive mindset is what Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee’s new sports development officer Mira Shahib hopes to encourage in national federations.
“The science of sports and all the technical aspects keep changing to get the best results and so education is a key component in having a proactive mindset ” he said.
Shahib said what was used by some sports four years ago for coaching, training and even governance may no longer be relevant.
“So it is important that our national federations continue to educate their officials, coaches and athletes on what is new in their sport and how to adapt accordingly,” he said.
The former national futsal player and coach said: “In this new role I hope to provide the support and resources needed for national federations to upskill themselves to ensure their athletes perform at the highest level possible.”
Shahib says there are no excuses as information is readily available online and from FASANOC.
“We would like to see increased NF participation to enable more medals at the Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.
“Team Fiji can reach new heights provided we all play our part and learn as much as possible in order to stay relevant and in touch with other countries,” he said.
Shahib said he would also like to see national federations sharing knowledge and resources which would lighten the load for everyone.
“We at FASANOC will also play our part and hopefully lead by example by getting staff educated and certified,” he said.
He said understanding the needs of our national federations had been one of the core functions of FASANOC’s educational program.
“A lot of work is currently being done by the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) and Oceania Sport Education Programme (OSEP) for micro-qualifications and courses to stay current, bringing new learnings to the NFs. This is why we encourage national federations to take part in courses when they are available,” said Shahib.
“Some of the main key objectives we see for our national federations include improving governance and management of sport organisation operations, improving games preparation of athletes and officials and creating training pathways for administrators, coaches, team managers and trainers.”
FASANOC acknowledges the good work done by NFs.
“However, it is understandable that many NFs are managed by volunteers and executive members change over time. It is for this reason it is important for executives to undergo governance training so they can serve their respective NFs in the best possible way,” said Shahib.
FASANOC will host OSEP Development Coaches Course, Community Strength and Conditioning Course and Team Managers Course this year, all targeting coaches and team managers for the upcoming 2023 Pacific Games to be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
