THE fourth edition of the Fiji Bitter Labasa 7s kicks off today at Subrail Park, with excitement and enthusiasm building among teams, officials and rugby fans across the North.
Teams have been arriving in Labasa since Tuesday night, with Tournament Coordinator Vika Vataniyaragi confirming that preparations are now complete for the highly anticipated tournament.
“Teams started to arrive from Tuesday night, and the first team to arrive was Baravi Legends,” Vataniyaragi said.
She said organisers were kept busy on Wednesday carrying out final preparations at the venue.
“Yesterday we were rushing through doing our final touch ups, setting up the shed and clearing the field. Even though it was going to rain on Wednesday morning, it has started to clear up and we pray for good weather over the weekend,” she said.
Vataniyaragi also highlighted the presence of international officials as a major boost for the tournament, with international referee Rasta Rasivhenge and Fiji Rugby referee manager James Bolabiu conducting referee clinics in Labasa this week.
“We were also blessed to have international referee Rasta Rasivhenge alongside James Bolabiu who were conducting referee clinics in Labasa for our referees. It’s just timely for this tournament and we are blessed to have them officiating on our first day of competition before they return to Viti Levu on Friday,” she added.
She added that tournament sponsors were expected to arrive on Wednesday night, further adding to the build-up.
Vataniyaragi has also called on rugby supporters in the North to turn up in numbers and be part of the action.
“I am calling everybody in the North to please come out in numbers and support this big tournament,” she said.
The Fiji Bitter Labasa 7s is expected to deliver thrilling rugby action over the weekend as teams battle for top honours at Subrail Park.
