FIJI rugby 7s legend Waisale Serevi is a big believer in sports being a strong vehicle for change especially in the lives of young people.
Since launching the Serevi International Academy of Rugby – Stay strong, say no drugs in the United States, the sevens wizard has helped many young men and women transform their lives through the power of sports.
“I visited 80 countries in the world, I’ve helped individuals, families, clubs, national teams and I was thinking back in the last 15 years that I have put more than nearly 200 plus kids to university through scholarships and reference letters,” he said.
With its success in the US, Serevi believed he could do the same in Fiji especially with the growing issue of drug abuse in the country.
“I wanted to use that same program I launched in the US to help our local kids get into universities or the opportunity of getting contracts abroad, scholarships even for school and rugby.”
The core essence of sports which lays in discipline and commitment is enough for a person to turn a new leaf.
“I believe that sports play a big role in people’s lives whether it is rugby, soccer, netball or basketball. Sports helps keep you healthy because you’re training from Monday to Friday, you want to perform on Saturday.
“There’s a discipline part of sport that the players know is really important. It is a great vehicle to keep kids away from drugs. That is also one of the main reasons we are using the Serevi International Academy of Rugby – Stay strong, say no drugs- for me there’s a lot of rugby going on but it’s more like 20 percent rugby and 80 per cent is diverted to empowering, encouraging and motivating kids.
“They need to realise that they are an important part of society, of the nation and we need all of them,” Serevi added.
In January, Serevu through his academy hosted its first rugby camp in Fiji which was held at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka.
