Australia Assists Fiji Sports Groups Promote Water Safety and Healthy Living

11 November 2010

Australian Government grants have been awarded to Outrigger Fiji, the Fiji Table Tennis Association and the Fiji Volleyball Federation. The grants have been awarded as part of the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP).

ASOP, which has been assisting sports development in the Pacific since 2006, is managed by the Australian Sports Commission. It aims to assist organizations deliver inclusive sports-based programs which contribute to social development.

Outrigger Fiji has been awarded a grant of F$17,457 to undertake Ocean Rescue training courses in Suva, Nadi and Savusavu.

The workshops will be modeled on the Australian Surf Life Saving Association’s Bronze Medallion program and will train participants in the latest ocean rescue techniques tailored specifically to meet the needs of outrigger canoeing. This will include training for deep water rescue, boat rescue and treatment of coral cuts and infections.

The Fiji Table Tennis Association will use its F$12,839 grant to promote Table Tennis as a sport which encourages family values, gender equality and integration of people with disabilities.

Working on the principle that most domestic dining tables can be used for table tennis, the Association aims to equip as many people as it can with the coaching skills needed to encourage all age groups in the country to take up the sport.

The Fiji Volleyball Federation has been awarded a grant of F$8694 to use its coaching development programs in Nakauvadra to create greater awareness of the risks of contracting HIV and AIDS.

Working with village women in the interior of Fiji, the Federation will highlight the health risks associated with mobile workforces. It will also encourage active participation in sports as a way to combat the high incidence of diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle diseases.

*ENDS*