AS of last night, with immediate effect, the Fiji Sports Council has enacted new measures for the media at all its facilities.
The notice, uploaded shortly before 6pm, comes with only a day left to the start of the Coca-Cola Games tomorrow at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
It announced the media would need to present a valid media pass signed by its acting chief executive Gilbert Vakalalabure to any facility under its care.
Earlier yesterday, a team from The Fiji Times was stopped from entering the gates of the stadium to cover a sporting event at a facility within the perimeter.
The incident prompted another team hoping to cover athletes training at the stadium not to do so.
When contacted to provide clarity on the matter, council’s operations manager Litia Senibulu said the media would need to obtain passes to enter its facilities.
In a statement released by the Fiji Sports Council on its Facebook page before 6pm yesterday, it said a valid media pass signed by its chief executive Gilbert Vakalalabure would have to be presented.
“This measure takes immediate effect and is introduced to ensure better coordination and security across all our venues,” the statement explained.
“In addition, a further directive has been issued that any party — excluding our recognised television broadcast partners — wishing to conduct live streaming from within any of our venues must obtain prior written approval from the council.”
The statement requested all media outlets and independent media providers to extend an expression of interest at the earliest opportunity.
While the council posted that, there were videos uploaded to its Facebook page throughout the day from within the stadium where some athletes and officials from various schools were interviewed and filmed.
Athletes from around the country have been training and acclimatising themselves at the stadium and the stoppage has hindered the media from speaking to those who have come from afar in the hopes of amplifying their stories for the wider public to know.
The Coke Games also known as the Fiji Finals will take place at the HFC Bank Stadium.
