Fiji has unveiled its contribution to the Tahiti-organised Pacific Digital Relay, releasing a video segment on April 6 that spotlights the nation’s athletes, culture and coastal landmarks as part of the build-up to the 18th Pacific Games.
The relay, modelled on the Olympic spirit and led by the Tahiti 2027 organising committee, invited each of the 24 participating Pacific nations to produce a 30-minute film linked by the symbolic passing of a baton bearing the official Pacific Digital Relay sticker. Tahiti is preparing to welcome nearly 4,500 athletes to the Games, and FASANOC (Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee) treated the invitation as more than a filming exercise — an opportunity to show “what Fiji is made of” on the regional stage.
Fiji’s sequence was filmed across Suva and the Arts Village at Pacific Harbour, opening at the Suva Sailing Centre with a traditional start: Iris Bentley Fisher took the baton out onto Suva Harbour aboard a V1 canoe, the ocean set as the connective element. Fisher brought the baton ashore and handed it to triathlete Christian Rokoua, who carried it through the streets of Nasese before passing to weightlifter Taniela Rainibogi — the reigning Pacific Games weightlifting champion — who received the baton at a bar and completed a lift with it in hand.
The relay then moved onto team sports. Women’s footballers Adi Litia Bakaniceva and Filo Racea took possession on the pitch before transferring the baton to basketballers Estelle Kainamoli, Ranadi Koroi and Moana Liebregts. The three basketballers were highlighted as gold medallists from the Palau 2025 Pacific Mini Games and noted as the first Fijian sport to qualify for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The final handover in Fiji’s leg saw tae kwon do athlete Ayush Chand bringing the segment to a close.
The full Pacific Digital Relay broadcast was deliberately released on April 6 to coincide with the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace — a United Nations‑proclaimed day since 2013 that recognises sport’s capacity to advance peace, equality and sustainable development. Organisers and participating countries framed the relay as a cultural and sporting statement that unites Pacific nations through shared heritage and athletic endeavour.
Fiji’s segment appears at 1:05:30 in the full broadcast, now available on the Pacific Digital Relay YouTube channel, and represents the country’s first official participation in the 2027 Games’ digital build-up. For FASANOC and the athletes involved, the video serves both as promotion ahead of the Games and as a showcase of community, pride and the everyday places and people that underpin Fiji’s sporting success.
Leave a comment