Saiasi Fuli, the head coach of the Fiji women’s rugby sevens team, has taken full responsibility for the team’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Fijiana lost all three of their pool matches against Canada, China, and New Zealand, and were defeated 22-28 by Brazil in the 9th-place semi-final.
This outcome is a stark contrast to the success achieved three years ago in Tokyo under the same coach. While acknowledging that in-game execution was beyond his control, Fuli admitted that it is ultimately the coach who must be held accountable for the team’s performance.
“I am accountable for the performance of the team. It is my role to manage the team, prepare them, and bring them out,” Fuli stated. “I agree that coaches must be held accountable for every tournament. It’s disappointing Olympics for us, and I know many fans in Fiji are disappointed as they always expect good results and performances.”
Fuli highlighted that factors and expectations beyond his control also played a role in the team’s performance. “The disappointing thing is the Olympics comes every four years, and that is what we can offer right now,” he added. “We can’t do much; we can’t control what’s happening out there.”
Fuli, who led the team to a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games, accepted that this has been a disappointing tournament for Fijiana 7s.