Jioji Nasova, the new player in the Team Fiji men’s rugby sevens squad, gets the nod to play at the Paris Olympic Games, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
The 23-year-old Nasova made his debut at the HSBC SVNS series this year. Speaking about his journey, the young player recalls his debut at the Hong Kong Sevens as a special moment. “I made my debut in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Madrid,” said Nasova in an interview with SUNsports.
He expressed gratitude to his coaches, saying, “I thank the coaches for having faith in me to allow me to represent Fiji at the world’s finest competition, the Olympics.” Keen to maintain Fiji’s standing, he declared, “Those of us who have been chosen to represent Fiji in France, have put in our hard yards to defend the gold medal. Fiji has indeed won it back to back, but we will give our best to win gold for the third time.”
Hailing from Toge in Ba, Nasova previously played for Beijing RC for a one-year contract in 2023, a stint made possible when he was noticed playing for Dominion Brothers. “I played in the Suva 10s, and then a coach from China recruited me, and I got a contract,” says Nasova.
Nasova’s educational journey led him from Toge Primary School to Nukuloa College and Ba Provincial Freebird Institute. While at these institutions, he played rugby league, but this was cut short when he was chosen to play for the Naitasiri Under-20 in the Skipper Cup competition.