The Fijiana women’s sevens rugby team have lost both pool matches at the Paris Olympics today and look set to miss the quarterfinals in the process.

Bronze medallists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Fijians lost 17-14 to Canada in their first pool game.

China then handed the Fijians an upset 40-12 thrashing.

These results means Fijiana must beat New Zealand and hope to progress as one of the two best third place teams.

China displayed Fiji’s own style of play, throwing the ball around, taking the tackles and still off-loading and put on a strong defensive display when they pressure Fiji.

FBC Sports said the contribution of former coaches Osea Kolinisau and Setefano Cakau was evident in how China played.

Kolinisau and Cakau are currently coaching the Fiji men’s team and had stints as coaches with the Chinese in 2021-2022.

NZ connections
China now has the services of former New Zealand sevens rep Rocky Khan and longtime New Zealand 7s mentor Sir Gordon Tietjens.

Pool matches will continue on Tuesday, with Fiji taking on New Zealand in their third and final pool game.

Hosts France, the USA, New Zealand and Australia have recorded two wins each so far and are now confirmed for the quarterfinals.

France did not concede a point in their two games so far.

A record crowd of 66,000 fans packed into Stade de France to set a new record for a women’s rugby event.

World Rugby says that beats the previous record of 58,498 at Twickenham for England v France in 2023.

Australia’s Maddison Levi scored an incredible sevens tries in two matches to take her Olympic total to 10.

Australia got off to a flying start against South Africa in their opener, winning 34-5.

They took on Great Britain in their second outing, coming out with a 36-5 victory.

Great Britain, however, will head into day two second in the pool after they beat Ireland 21-12 in their opening game.

Strong USA start
USA got their Olympic campaign off to a strong start as they defeated Japan 36-7 in Pool C.

A 24-5 win against Brazil in their second game took them into day two unbeaten, with a showdown against France to decide the pool in store.

Hosts France thrilled the boisterous home crowd by also ending the day unbeaten after convincing wins against Brazil and Japan without conceding a point.

They won 26-0 in their opener against the South Americans before a bombarding performance against Japan ended 49-0 in their favour, scoring seven tries on their way to the Pool C summit.

World Rugby chair Sir Bill Beaumont said “after a scintillating men’s competition at these special coming of age Games for Rugby Sevens”:

“It is fitting that yet another record has been smashed. With the world’s best women’s sevens players shining brightly on sport’s biggest stage, 66,000 fans were gripped by the action, while an unprecedented broadcast and digital audience will ensure that more young people in more nations and communities will be inspired by these awesome athletes, who are amongst the best in the world in sport.”

Seeking a medal
Australia captain Charlotte Caslick says they want to win a medal this time around, having missed out on Tokyo in 2020.

“It is a part of sport that it brings highs and lows. But we have achieved a lot since then so we have definitely moved on and are really looking forward to this campaign. That loss in Tokyo has really helped us to grow.

“We have a lot of girls coming back after injuries. We just have to keep doing what we do, to keep performing. We don’t do it for recognition, we do it because we love each other and we love this sport. Hopefully, if we’re successful here we’ll go a long way.”

New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini, making a return from injury, says she is excited for her team’s chances.

“It means a lot. It’s been a tough journey but I’m so grateful to the people around me to get me back to this point. I’m so happy to be back with the team and on the big stage.

“I’m so proud to be back representing my family, everyone back in New Zealand. Wearing this black jersey means everything. It gives you superpowers.

“It has such a legacy and it’s one of the most powerful tools we can hold on to for a set amount of time. And when the time comes you give it to the next person.”

Women’s sevens rugby results from Day One:
China 40 Fiji 7
France 49 Japan 0
USA 24 Brazil 5
Australia 36 Great Britain 5
Ireland 38 South Africa 0
New Zealand 43 China 5
Canada 17 Fiji 14
France 26 Brazil 0
USA 36 Japan 7
Australia 34 South Africa 5
Great Britain 21 Ireland 12
New Zealand 33 Canada 7

One silver for Team Pasifika
The Fiji men’s sevens team has recorded the only medal so far for Team Pasifika.

They won silver in the competition, following their 28-7 final loss to France on Sunday morning (NZ time).

Meanwhile, Fijian captain Jerry Tuwai has apologised to Fijian fans for the final loss, saying they had let fans down because they had aimed to win the gold medal again.

Speaking at the post match press conference, Tuwai said France was just too good.

“I just want to thank the fans back home for the support and the prayers, we would like to apologize for falling short to a very good French side, they deserve it, thanks very much for the support through the years and we’ll see you back home,” he said.

Head coach Osea Kolinisau added to that and said they will now focus on the HSBC SVNS Series, which kicks off later this year.

In other sports:

Team PNG said Ume, who fought in the men’s 63.5 kg category, lost to Cuba’s Erislandy Alvarez Borges.

Borges stopped Ume in the second round.

Team PNG said Ume was an inspiration.

“John received the call to join the team just seven days before his bout, following an unfortunate injury to a boxer from Solomon Islands,” Team PNG said in a statement.

“Despite not being in peak form due to the unexpected nature of his invitation, John answered the call with pride and courage. John faced the formidable Cuban athlete Erislandy Alvarez Borges in his Olympic debut.

“Alvarez, a highly accomplished boxer with a silver medal from the 2023 World Championships and an undefeated professional record, proved to be a tough opponent.

“John fought valiantly, showcasing the spirit and tenacity that define Team PNG. However, in the second round, the referee stopped the match, awarding the victory to Alvarez.

“John’s participation in the Olympics, despite the short notice, is a testament to his resilience and dedication.”

Team PNG added that despite the outcome, Ume’s participation in Paris 2024 has made his country proud.

“Team PNG stands proud of John’s remarkable effort and unwavering resilience on the Olympic stage.”

And Tongan female boxer Fe’ofa’aki Epenisa also lost her first fight.

Aki, the island kingdom’s first female boxer to fight at the Games, could not upset Vietnam’s Thi Linh Ha in the women’s 60 kg category.

Linh won the fight 5-0 on the scorecards.

ONOC says the USA based boxer fought well and tried her best, which was not enough to get her into the next stage.

Boxing continues tomorrow, with gold medal finals also on the programme.

ONOC says the list included Lanihei Connolly of the Cook Islands in the women’s 100m Breaststroke Preliminary heats..

Connolly competed in Heat 2, finishing her race with a time of 1 minute 10.45 seconds.

Tonga’s Alan Uhi swam in the men’s 100m Backstroke, finishing with a time of 1 minute 0.62 seconds.

The Tonga Association of National Olympic Committee commended Uhi’s performance.

“Our youngest Olympian to Paris 2024 swam in the first Heat of the men’s 100m backstroke at the Paris La Defense Arena!

“Great attempt at your first Olympic appearance, certainly won’t be your last!”

FSM’s Tasi Limtiaco completed his 100m Breaststroke event in 1 minute :4.14 seconds.

American Samoa’s Micah Masei competed in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke, finishing third in his heat with a time of 1 minute 05.95 seconds.

Swimming continues tomorrow.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Edson Arantes do Nascimento passed away at the age of 82 after a brave battle with colon cancer in Brazil on 20 December 2022. Known as “O Rei”, “The Black Pearl”, and “Pelé”, he was an ambassador, businessperson, community worker to the world, cultural force, leader, soccer player, and politician.

In this article, I write about why I admired Pelé as a child.

Writing as an adult and activist, I also pay tribute to Pelé and articulate why “O Rei” remains an important teacher of decoloniality and decolonisation in contemporary Oceania.

Pelé in my childhood in the 1970s
I caught brief glimpses of Pelé’s soccer genius in sports highlights on Aotearoa television news as a child in the 1970s.

I did not grasp the tactical, technical, or strategic intricacies of professional soccer when watching Pelé play for the New York Cosmos as a child. But I did see Pelé’s genius with a soccer ball on television. I remember seeing him play with creativity, joy, and imagination.

Pelé brought joy into my difficult childhood.

Like other Pacific Islanders of his generation, my father was a born-again rugby supporter who did not rate football as a sport. But even he would marvel at O Rei’s exploits on Aotearoa television when Pelé appeared.

Pacific people recognised Pelé’s genius — just as they recognised the extraordinary gifts of Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring.

Years before the formation of the English Premier League, I grew to love watching the great British players representing the mighty first division English clubs. Aotearoa television would play a weekly English first division match, and we always received televised, free- to-air coverage of FA Cup Finals in the 1970s and 1980s.

I came to love Division One English club football in the 1970s and 1980s.

An Al Jazeera tribute to Pelé.

Historically, Aotearoa has always had a strong affinity with British football. Despite loving the English game, I saw that Pelé played soccer in a radically unique way.

In later years, I would understand that Pelé played an Afro-Brazilian style of football known as “jogo bonito”, or, the beautiful game — characterised by creativity and improvisation by individual players; off the ball movement; one touch passing; samba like team rhythm and tempo, and superlative dribbling, passing, and attacking movements on the ground and in the air by the entire team.

I watched documentaries about Pelé as a child and a teen when they appeared on Aotearoa television. But I was too young to see the televised, in-colour spectacle of “jogo bonito” performed by Alberto, Gerson, Jairzinho, Pele, or Rivellino at Mexico City when Brazil beat Italy 4-1 to win the 1970 World Cup. I would only watch these mighty players in the 1970 World Cup after Sky TV played classic matches.

Pelé, Brazil, and ‘jogo bonito’ in 1982
But I did witness the “jogo bonito” performed by the 1982 Brazilian side that featured Eder, Falcao, Junior, Socrates, and Zico. Although this side did not win the 1982 World Cup, they remain the greatest sporting team I have ever witnessed — they performed art and played soccer simultaneously.

Aotearoa’s mighty All Whites played this Brazilian side in the group stages of the 1982 tournament. The team also got to meet Pelé in person when O Rei visited the Aotearoa team changing room before the match.

I was too young to understand that the 1982 side played a style of Afro-Brazilian soccer that continued the legacy of the beautiful game begun by Didi, Garrincha, Pelé, and Jairzinho long years before. Pelé was one of the innovators of this style of play in Brazil.

Engaging with Pelé as an adult
As an adult, I developed a fuller understanding of Pelé, his life, and his historical context.

1. Pelé was born only 53 years after the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888 into an Afro-Brazilian family who often struggled to put food on the table. (Pelé writes about his childhood and the hardships he endured in his 2007 autobiography.)
2. The Black Pearl’s Afro-Brazilian people occupied the lowest socio-economic positions in Brazilian society.
3. Even today, Afro-Brazilians face discrimination in employment, the justice system, and day-to-day life in Brazil. The Brazilian police still target Afro-Brazilian male youth for violence even today.
4. Opposing team’s fans made monkey noises — whether Pelé played in Brazil or around the world with his club, Santos. Despite his popularity, Pelé was a target of racism.
5. Pelé’s Brazilian government prevented him from playing soccer in Europe by making him a “national treasure”. In consequence, Pelé could not sell his labour to European clubs. Critics have stated that this would never have happened to a white Brazilian.
6. Brazilians accused Pelé of getting too close to figures in the Brazilian dictatorship of 1964-1985 — such as General Medici.
7. Pelé’s former national teammate, Paulo Cesar Lima, said in the 2021 documentary Pelé that he loved Edson, but Lima also said he felt Pelé functioned as a “submissive Black man” during the height of the dictatorship repressions in 1969. Lima felt a statement by Pelé against the dictatorship in the late 1960s would have “gone a long way”.
8. Brazilian journalist Juca Kfouri stated that Pelé did not have a guarantee that the Brazilian regime would not torture him if he did speak out.
9. In Africa, ordinary people treated Pelé as a son when O Rei playing there in the late 1960s. Pelé remains a figure of Trans-Atlantic Black unity in Africa, the US, and in other parts of the Black Diaspora.
10. Apartheid security forces prevented Pelé from leaving an airport when he visited South Africa in the 1960s. Pelé swore he would never return until South Africa was free from Apartheid. He did return in the 1990s — to spend time with Nelson Mandela.
11. Pelé was a Goodwill Ambassador for the Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992.
12. He was a Minister for Sport in Brazil.
13. He was an ambassador for the UN, UNICEF, and UNESCO during his lifetime — always seeking to forge relationships with children.
14. He endured business failures.
15. He refused to recognise a daughter born out of wedlock.
16. Pelé was a significant cultural force in Brazil — for good and for bad.
17. He was a football genius. Football journalists such as Tim Vickery have spoken of Pelé’s soccer skills — Edson’s ability with both feet; acceleration; skills in the air; passing talents; unselfishness; football intelligence, and his psychological strength.

Pelé’s passing in the media
Since his untimely passing, television news networks such as Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and Television New Zealand have all honoured Pelé’s cultural, historical, political, and sporting legacy.

Similarly, print media in Aotearoa, Australia, Brazil, Britain, France, and South Africa have represented Pelé as a “cultural icon”, “hero”, “innovator”, “giant of sport”, an “artist”, a “genius”, and a “fine, humble, and warm human being”.

Print media sources in France and the US have also expressed criticism of Pelé for not doing more against the Brazilian dictatorship.

Sources in Brazil have criticised Pelé for not taking more of a public stand against racism in Brazil and the world.

Pelé’s aesthetics
Brazilian star Neymar wrote a moving tribute for O Rei after the great man died. In one part of his tribute, Neymar stated that Pelé transformed soccer into art. I agree with Neymar’s insight.

If one watches Pelé on film today, one sees a kinetic aesthetics of balance, gesture, grace, intelligence, power, speed, rhythm, and style — whether Pelé was in the air, in space, or in a crowd of players. One observes Pelé performing an aesthetics of creativity, joy, and improvisation. I have no doubt Pelé’s parents, coaches, friends, and teammates in Brazil all nurtured his aesthetics.

Simultaneously, I am in no doubt that Pelé’s aesthetic genius was a gift given him by his ancestors and by his historical experience of being Afro-Brazilian.

I am not Afro-Brazilian and do not pretend to understand the language of decoloniality and decolonisation Pelé performed in living motion on a soccer field. But I am convinced Pelé performed an aesthetics of Afro-Brazilian being, decolonisation, decoloniality, living, and expressing in his every movement on the soccer field.

Pelé performed the history of his ancestors on the soccer stage.

Pelé’s lessons for Oceania
In conclusion, Pelé taught me five things as a Pacific person in Aotearoa.

1. struggle to embrace joy and freedom in your life,
2. always extend solidarity to those engaged in the Black struggle,
3. remember the struggle for justice in Aotearoa, the Moana, Palestine, or West Papua are one with the struggle Black people face around the world,
4. always look for the talents and potential in your own Moana peoples, and
5. never be ashamed of your Oceanian ancestors, your genealogy, or your history.

Despite his handful of personal failings, Pelé remains one of my great teachers in decolonial Oceania.

The author, Tony Fala, acknowledges the lives of Brazilian football greats Garrincha, Pelé, and Socrates as the inspiration for this article. He also pays tribute to Pacific peoples across Oceania who believe in soccer as a sport that embraces emancipation, participation, struggle, and unity.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific athletes have won a total of 13 medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, split among six nations.

Samoa won the region’s only gold, through weightlifter Don Opolenge and the nation’s lifters also won three silver medals.

They also gained a silver in boxing.

Fiji won four medals overall, two of them in the rugby sevens, but there will be some disappointment that neither team could win their respective finals.

Weightlifting brought the only medals for Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Vanuatu gained a bronze from beach volleyball, and Niue gained its first-ever Games medal since being able to compete since 2002, with a boxing bronze.

Full list of Pacific medals:

Fiji (4)
Silver: Fiji men’s rugby sevens team

Silver: Fiji women’s rugby sevens team

Bronze: Taniela Rainibogi, weightlifting men’s 96 kg

Bronze: Naibili Vatunisolo, women’s discus throw F44/64

Nauru (1)
Bronze: Maximina Uepa, weightlifting women’s 76 kg

Niue (1)
Bronze: Duken Tutakitoa-Williams, boxing men’s heavyweight

PNG (1)
Silver: Morea Baru, weightlifting men’s 61 kg

Samoa (5)
Gold:Don Opeloge, weightlifting men’s 96 kg

Silver: Vaipava Ioane, weightlifting men’s 67 kg

Silver: Jack Opeloge, weightlifting men’s 109 kg

Silver: Feagaiga Stowers, weightlifting women’s +87 kg

Silver: Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, boxing heavyweight

Vanuatu (1)
Bronze: Miller Pata/Sherysyn, Toko Beach volleyball women’s

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

World Rugby must adopt a “one country one national team” in world competitions as it is done in the Olympics and all the other world sports, says the prime minister of Samoa who is also his nation’s rugby chairman.

This means the United Kingdom must have one rugby team to incorporate England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the future.

Samoa Rugby Union chairman, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, says this in response to the controversial League of 12 competition proposed by World Rugby that will ultimately marginalise Pacific teams and poorer rugby unions.

READ MORE: World Rugby reveals plans for nations championship

“We have perpetuated this absolute nonsense – of four national teams by the United Kingdom – for so long and the worst part is the silence from the older unions like South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in the Southern Hemisphere. Their silence speaks volumes,” said Tuilaepa, who will attend his first World Rugby Council meeting in Dublin in a few weeks.

Samoa Rugby Union chair Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi … seeking “quality” and “fairness” in world competitions. Image: Talamua

“Rugby is a 20th century sport, where the colonial mindset is a thing of the past. So as long as this abnormality continues in World Rugby, with four national teams for the United Kingdom alone, the voting power will always be skewed in favour of the kind of decision-making that is not inclusive and is harmful to the best interests of the sport internationally.”

Tuilaepa said the new league means that not only are Pacific teams excluded, but all other rugby playing nations will be relegated to second class status.

“Which is contrary to the often-proclaimed world rugby objectives of growing the sport internationally; and to care for the welfare of our 9 million rugby players; and sustain the interest of over 300 million rugby fans worldwide,” he said.

‘Breeding farms’
“This new concept will treat Tier 2 Unions as mere breeding farms for the Rich 12 to pick and choose players from.

“Then on top of that, players aged 20 years in 2022, at the height of their careers in the island teams will be denied the opportunity to play top rugby for the whole period of 12 years.”

A “one nation one national team” policy is one of three major changes Tuilaepa wants to raise the quality and incorporate fairness in to competitions, for the sportsmen and sportswomen as well as the unions themselves.

Firstly, the eligibility rules should be more liberal. Like those adopted by World Rugby League.

The best approach for Tier 2 nations is for member unions to pick the best players for their test matches then allow unselected players to play for the country of their roots. In this way, competitiveness is maintained and the competition becomes more exciting for the fans worldwide.

Secondly, the gate-sharing of the amateur days of rugby, in which the host union takes all, should be replaced with a more professional sharing ratio of 50/50 for the visitors and host team, for any competition.

“This will ensure a more balanced distribution of the gate takings for games held in rich or poor nations.

Gate sharing
“If this gate sharing is modernised to a sharing ratio that appropriately reflects the professional era we have long been in, the revenue derived from the sweat of our island players when touring the super-rich venues of England is enough to meet our yearly budget for every annual tournament we participate in, every year in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said.

“Then Tier 2 nations should never have to resort to or be branded as beggars, depending on handouts.

“The current annual tours by Tier 2 nations only serve to fill the pockets and replenish the already fat bank accounts of the Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, French and Italians every year and our small Tier 2 Unions continue to struggle, year in and year out, with huge bank overdrafts.”

Tuilaepa also suggested establishing a Tribunal “by law to adjudicate on complaints” raised by affected members.

“Perhaps it is time for a world tribunal, established especially in a neutral venue like “The Hague”, to adjudicate on contentious issues that are so blatantly wrong and which destroy the spirit of sportsmanship for millions of the world’s rugby youths of today that will become world leaders of tomorrow.

“Their hypocrisy is very clear. We can see it’s just lip service when there is talk of development for Tier 2 Nations.

“The ‘do as I say and not as I do’ syndrome is alive and well in this popular sport of world rugby.

‘Greed and selfishness’
“The inclusion of Italy and the United States, [which] are not in the top 12 world rankings, clearly points to greed and selfishness.”

“A better alternative to consider would be to stage two competitions – a Tier 1 competition to include the top 12 ranked teams in the world and a Tier 2 competition to include the next 12 teams, chosen on the basis of their ranking.

“At the end of the season the worst performing four Teams in the Tier 1 competition move down from Tier 1 and the best performing four Teams from Tier 2 move up to Tier 1.
He also suggested that all participating unions must receive broadcast (rights) compensation payments, plus gate sharing.

“This is a more positive pathway for Tier II rugby nations to move up the ladder in world rugby.”

This article by Talamua chief editor Lance Polu is republished by the Pacific Media Centre with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz