The Coca-Cola Games will be held at the ANZ Stadium in Suva on April 22- 24.

This was confirmed to SUNsports yesterday by Fiji Secondary Schools Athletics Association general secretary Vuli Waqa.

After missing out last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual event always filled with colours, raucous cheering and fierce rivalry will be looked forward to again by students, parents and old scholars.

“We’ve already started with the planning bearing in mind that the game is going to be held,” he said.

“The only thing we are waiting for is getting the approval letter from the Ministry of Education.

“The letter has to come from the ministry because most of school principals will give the green light once they get the approval letter.

“We are very grateful that approval has been given by the ministry.”

According to Waqa, this year’s Coke Games will be different.

“It will be probably be the best because we missed out last year,” Waqa said.

Vuli Waqa.

“Athletes want to stamp their mark and we expect competition to be tough and enjoyable.

Schools Participating

“It will be very different to predict schools affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in Vanua Levu to come.

“But looking back to T/C Winston in 2016, the same thing happened as we did not get the full number of athletes and schools participating.

“I don’t expect all schools in Bua to come, probably one or two but we will see.

Back to Competition Schedules

“We have to adapt to the new norm because of COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will be sending out to schools the Back to Competition schedules.

“It requires athletes to follow COVID-19 protocols. For athletics it is not really a worry because physical contact is very difficult because athletes run on lanes

“The only time it happens is when athletes congratulate each other.

Contact Tracing

“We are designing our own forms which means all schools that are coming in will have to register before they come. We are doing that to avoid constant registrations on the three days of competition.

“All the registered athletes will be given a wrist band to wear so when they walk in on competition day, we know that he or she has been registered and tested. All they have to do is go straight to where the temperature is taken.

“Those are some changes that we are having ahead of the Coke Games.

“The fans will be the responsibility of the Fiji Sports Council.

“We have the right measures so a lot of schools have been calling in to find out if the games happening or not. It get things back to normalcy.”

Edited by Osea Bola

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