ATHLETICS Fiji president Joji Liga says the inclusion of secondary school athletes in Fiji’s national athletics team is part of a long-term strategy aimed at building future champions.
Speaking ahead of the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championship in Darwin, Liga said Athletics Fiji was investing heavily in young athletes now with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics firmly in sight.
“If someone is entering the under-16 grade now, he’ll be 22 by Brisbane 2032. That’s part of the strategy,” Liga said.
“We really need to focus on those talents now. It’s no point leaving it late. We need to put them on a long-term pathway and a series of high-level competitions.”
Liga said the governing body was determined to create clearer pathways for athletes after the Coca-Cola Games, noting many talented competitors had previously drifted away from athletics.
“We often lose athletes to rugby and other sports,” he said.
“So, we are trying to change that focus around to make our athletes understand that there’s a pathway.”
He said regional competitions in Australia and New Zealand, alongside Oceania events, would become important parts of athlete development.
“We want our Coca-Cola champions to know that after Coca-Cola, they have a chance to represent Fiji.”
Liga added that Athletics Fiji was also modernising its governance and development structures to adapt to changing demands in sport.
“We can’t keep doing things the way we used to do them 10 or 20 years ago. The generation of athletes coming up now is very different. The demands change, the dynamics change, likewise we need to adjust accordingly.”
