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Tears of joy on Fiji’s ‘biggest day’
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FIJIANS erupted in celebration yesterday, setting off flares and dancing in the streets while a national holiday was declared after the tiny nation won its first ever Olympic medal — and gold at that.
The South Pacific island country came to a standstill at the start of the rugby sevens final against Great Britain, and by half-time the fireworks had started and there was a monumental chorus of car horns as it became evident Fiji would win and create history.
“This is the biggest day in Fiji’s history. Everyone is celebrating,” said photographer Feroz Khalil who watched the final on the big screen at the main stadium in Suva. “It was crazy. There were people chanting, crying, tears were flowing.”
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who was in Rio de Janeiro to watch the final, announced there would be a public holiday on August 22, the day after the team arrives home.
In a message to the nation Bainimarama said “every Fijian is rejoicing” around the world.
“Never before has the Fijian spirit soared so high as it does today. Never have we stood so tall as a nation.”
Fiji Rugby Union chief executive John O’Connor said nearly all of Fiji’s 900,000 residents would have gathered around television sets in the 110 populated islands to watch the historic event.
“Everyone is very excited. Wherever there was a TV in a village there were people gathered round. There were about 2,000 people packed in the main stadium watching the game on the big screen.”
Fiji scored first after just 55 seconds, led 29-0 at half-time and finished up thrashing Britain by an emphatic 43-7.
It is only the second Olympic medal won by a South Pacific island nation, following the silver claimed by Tongan boxer Paea Wolfgramm who lost the super heavyweight final to Wladimir Klitschko at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Wolfgramm, now a sports ambassador for Tonga, said it was a “bittersweet moment” that it took 20 years for a second Pacific medal, but said he had backed Fiji to win.
Fiji coach Ben Ryan expected the partying to continue for a long time in a country where the players are national superstars. “The boys are front page, back page news, 6 o’clock news, you come out of the airport there’s a 20-foot billboard of them and that continues all the way through (the country).
“It’s a passion, it’s a national sport.”
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