The date of this public holiday will be finalised by the Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment and the Minister for Youth and Sports.

Fijian Minister for Youth and Sports, Viliame Naupoto, explained the day was set to encourage national participation in sport by all ages, genders and races.

"The sports public holiday will also augur well with our fight against non-communicable diseases and will contribute towards building a healthy nation," he said.

He added: "Government recognises the value of sports to this nation and the immense contribution our sportsmen and women have made."

"It also recognises that sport is an effective agent for unity and social change and it also helps build the characters of our young populace."

Naupoto said it would also be a fitting day to remember and celebrate the lives of the country's national sporting heroes.

The Minister for Youth and Sports said the National Sports Day will help recognise the immense contribution of Fiji's sportsmen and women, as well as encourage maximum participation in sport across the nation ©Getty Images


Fiji National Sports Commission chairman, Peter Mazey, said they would be working closely with the Sports Ministry to plan the activities for the day, with their sights set on a national competition to be staged on the day.

"They have recognised the importance of sport to the physical wellbeing of the country and that is a fantastic thing," Mazey said.

Lorraine Mar, secretary general and chief executive of the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC), recommended the day fall on June 23 to coincide with Olympic Day, a globally recognised sports day initiated by the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Movement which looks to get hundreds of thousands of people around the world to participate in a day of sports.

Mar added: "We would like to think that this is an indication of government's recognition of sport and its value as a vehicle for nation building, for promoting healthy and active lifestyles which leads to lower health costs, for social interaction in communities and for raising the profile of our nation on the world stage.

"A National Sports Day would be a great day for our national federations to promote their sport and if Minister Naupoto is still trying to identify a suitable day, FASANOC would recommend Olympic Day as a perfect day for a National Sports Day holiday."

The national holiday has been approved by the Cabinet in Fiji as part of the approved 10 days gazetted as public holidays for next year.

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