“Never underestimate yourself!”
This was the stern message of encouragement driven by sevens maestro Waisale Serevi into the young minds of special needs participants at the closing of the Central Eastern Council of Special & Inclusive Education (CECOSIE) Games yesterday.
The CECOSIE games ended after its commencement on Wednesday, where more than 750 participants took part in its second meet following its revival last year after a hiatus undertaken due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Serevi, in his address, shared three important messages for the students to take heed of, at the event’s closure yesterday.
“What I want to say is, I want to leave you all today kids with this advice: do not underestimate yourself. Never underestimate yourself,” he added.
“Believe in yourself, believe in your talent. No matter what the people say.”
“Secondly, you need to work hard in school, in sports, in whatever you do in life. Work hard, harder than yesterday and the last one, never give up, never give up in life.”
He also shared the story of his rise to rugby prominence and how he set out to make a mark for himself in the rugby arena.
“When I was young, I was pushed aside by the community. The reason? I was not good academically,” he recalled.
“Maybe some of you passed tests or exams but not Waisale Serevi.”
Serevi drove his message of hard work and determination home by highlighting how his foray into rugby had changed the trajectory of his life.
“I didn’t even know I would visit 87 countries in the world. I didn’t even know I would play seven World Cups, four in sevens and three in 15s rugby,” he mentioned.
“No other player in the world has done it, only a player from Fiji.”
After Serevi uttered those words, the audience responded with a round of applause.