The Fiji Secondary Schools Athletics Association (FSSAA) has announced fresh measures to tighten officiating and protect athletes ahead of next week’s Coca-Cola Games finals, including a full-day briefing for officials and team managers and offers of support to an athlete who missed qualification after being knocked down by an official at a zone meet.
The move follows an incident at the Suva Zone Two athletics meet in which an official bumped into a competitor during the 400 metres, sending him to the track and leaving him to finish fourth — outside the qualifying places for the national finals. The athlete’s fall prompted public concern and immediate internal review by the FSSAA, which said it has acted swiftly to prevent a recurrence.
FSSAA Secretary and Competition Director Biu Colati said the association has “moved quickly to address the issue” and stressed that further incidents will not be tolerated. “I can assure you that that will not happen,” Colati told reporters, confirming the association will run almost a full day of briefing for officials and managers immediately before the competition, with a strong focus on tightening procedures and on-vessel vigilance.
Colati said the briefings will re-emphasise positioning, movement and conduct for officials on the track, and will set out clear protocols for managing contact, protests and race re-runs where warranted. The intent, he said, is to reinforce confidence among athletes, parents and schools that officials will be alert and accountable during the three-day finals.
In a further development, the FSSAA has reached out to the athlete affected at Suva Zone Two and offered practical assistance to help him access a qualification pathway under a recently revised system. Colati said the association notified zone officials, teachers and coaches to ensure the message reached the student and that FSSAA would step in “if he found it hard to get to the qualifier.” He declined to provide the athlete’s name, citing privacy and the student’s protection.
The association said the qualifying system has been made more flexible to allow for exceptional circumstances and that the combination of stricter officiating measures and a more accommodating qualifier framework is intended to keep the spotlight on performance. The Coca-Cola Games finals — Fiji’s flagship secondary schools athletics meet organised by FSSAA — are scheduled to be held at Suva’s HFC Bank Stadium from next Thursday to Saturday. With the finals imminent, the FSSAA says the changes are timely and meant to reassure competitors that the competition will be fair and highly competitive.
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