The Wai Tui International 2026 regatta returned in spectacular fashion after a 14-year hiatus, wrapping up at Wailoaloa on April 5 with a three-day festival of outrigger competition that drew far more interest than organisers expected. Fiji Outrigger president Loretta St Julian‑Ooms described the event as “a major success,” reporting 300 competitors on the start line, including 110 overseas paddlers, 52 teams and 71 juniors from around the Pacific and beyond.
St Julian‑Ooms said the entry list included athletes from 10 countries, naming Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Wallis and Futuna and Nauru among the delegations that travelled to Fiji. “Of course, the islanders make it all the more exciting,” she added, underlining the strong regional flavour of the field and the event’s role in reconnecting Pacific paddlers after more than a decade.
The regatta got off to a rocky start on Saturday morning when a sudden squall swept across Wailoaloa, bringing down tents and disrupting the early schedule. Organisers moved quickly, re‑erecting the shelters and pressing ahead with a full day of sprint racing. “We had a bit of a slow start because of the squall that came in early morning which pulled all our tents down. But we erected them quickly and had a full‑on day with the sprint races,” St Julian‑Ooms said.
Racing continued into the final day with completion of the V6 500 metre events before attention shifted to the V1 marathon races. St Julian‑Ooms highlighted the scale of the competition, noting the biggest single race had 47 canoes on the water at once — a striking image of the regatta’s depth and competitiveness after so long away.
Organisers credited strong sponsor support and a committed volunteer workforce for keeping the event on track despite the weather setback. “We couldn’t do it without our sponsors, but it’s been a great weekend and after 14 years it’s good to be back,” St Julian‑Ooms said, thanking partners who helped stage the three‑day programme.
The successful staging of Wai Tui International 2026 has been framed by organisers as a platform for future editions, with the strong international turnout and smooth recovery from early disruptions providing momentum for the regatta to re‑establish itself on the Pacific paddling calendar. With favourable weather for much of the weekend and broad regional participation, the event has signalled a robust revival for an iconic sport in Fiji.
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