PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka reminded athletes on Saturday at the close of the Coca-Cola Games how the event was a platform for nation-building.
Rabuka was the chief guest of the Games’ closing ceremony and emphasised how it was an avenue through which values defining the nation on a variety of levels was made.
“The Coca-Cola Games represents one of the most enduring forms of nation building,” Rabuka told athletes at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
“Here we see the values that define us as a people, define us as a nation; discipline, unity, resilience, respect and excellence left out here on the field of play.”
This year’s Games was highly documented across various platforms whether on print for newspapers, aired on television or closely followed on social media.
On that note, the Prime Minister emphasised how such a widespread reach and coverage of the Games was a way in which collective identity and an affirmation of the belief in Fiji’s future was promised.
“Those student athletes, you are the heart of these Games.
“Your commitment, your sacrifice and your determination reflect the very best of Fiji’s future.
The Prime Minister closed this year’s Games after three intense days of competition that began on Thursday.
As a former scholar and head boy of Queen Victoria School, he presented the winning trophy of the boys division to the school which broke a 33-year winless jinx.
QVS won after earning 10 gold, 11 silver and seven bronze medals.
