FIJIANA player Tima Tamoi spoke on how women should be equally treated when it comes to playing rugby.
She spoke on the issue during the Fiji International women’s day celebration at Ratu Sukuna Park yesterday.
“As a young woman, playing rugby comes with its challenges, as we all know rugby is a men-dominated sport. As a young woman playing this sport, I have faced challenges such as discrimination and verbal abuse from people saying that women shouldn’t play rugby or women only belong to the kitchen.
“This is not true because as men has two hands like women, we can run and pass as men do. If I can compete at the same level as the men, so can you,” Tamoi said.
As a sportswoman and a feminist, Tamoi encourages young girls to fight for what they believe in and fight against discrimination and abuse of women and girls faced today.
“At times you will find mountains and challenges in standing up against discrimination, violence, verbal abuse and unfair treatment, not only being a sportswoman but a woman that wants change for the betterment of any issues and that should not stop you from trying to achieve your goals.
“A woman’s place is everywhere — at home, in the office and even on the field, let’s all work together to continue to grow as women towards a future where each one of us is treated with equality and fairness.
“I stand here today as living example that women and girls can play rugby and we can play it at the highest level.
“We can do anything if we put our mind and heart to what we want to achieve. All it takes is hard work and believe in one self that you can do it and can reach your goal, be confident with your body,” she said.
She spoke about her experience playing in the Rio Olympics and how her injury did not deter her spirit to continue training and finally made it the final team.
“Being selected as a member of the Fijiana team to Rio was something I will never forget. It was totally a new experience for me,” she said.
“The Olympics was a lot tougher than any other tournament I’ve played in.
“We had to work and play harder than ever as a team.
“I was humbled to be in the presence of so many amazing athletes as well as to compete with them.
“The experience of playing in Rio was so amazing that all the hard work I put in at training was worth it in those self-proud moments.
“When you’re representing your country at the highest level of playing rugby playing in the Rio Olympics, teamwork is very important. You will need to look out for each other and support one another. Injury was also another challenge that I faced where I injured my ankle. It caused me to miss a few tournaments but that didn’t stop me from wanting to achieve my goal of playing in Rio.
“I worked hard and overcame my injury to recover well and regain my spot in the team,” she said.
In 2012 it was the first year Tamoi got involved with rugby. From there on, she realised how much she enjoyed playing rugby and what it could offer her.
“It took me a lot of hard work, sweat and tears after two years I finally made it to the Fijiana team and I have never looked back,” she said.
