So what if the Government pays for the remainder of the airfares of our national men’s rugby sevens team? This so they could be upgraded to the comfort of business class as they make the long trip to the Olympic Games.

So will other athletes and their officials accept it or will they protest? What will their attitude be towards the rugby players?

These are questions that express fears that exist among the top brass of FASANOC and the Team Fiji contingent. That is why this matter had to be explained to other sporting federations before it could become public.

It’s sad it has to be done this way. For the fact is that some have yet to realise that this Rio Olympics has presented us a realistic chance of winning a medal. Never before have we got this close.

Remember how the nation was taken for a ride at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia? There was a lot of hype and some high hopes of winning our first Olympic medal in one of the minor sporting events.

This did not happen. But the fact was that we were way off the mark and were not even considered for the top 10 positions.

Remember large sums of money have been spent over the years sending people from minor sports to the Olympics who had no hope. No hope of even getting past early rounds let alone approaching the final.

But now the tide has turned. The re-introduction of rugby as an Olympic sport after a lapse of 92 years has rekindled hope.

Our men’s rugby sevens are going to Rio as the top rated team in the world.

Members of the Team Fiji contingent must understand that they can all play an important role in getting our country’s first Olympic medal.

Our national men’s rugby sevens team need their support as they have that realistic chance of doing us proud at the world stage. Their success is our success as well and as a nation we are all going to benefit from it.

The Ben Ryan coached side have won the World Sevens Series back-to-back and are seeded No.1 for their Olympics. Every effort should and must be made to support them.

Whether the team travels in business class or by private jet should be the least of anyone’s worries. We should not lose focus of our dream of winning our first Olympic medal. Let’s make that everyone’s business.

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj