Fiji's Flag Raising, National Anthem Nearly Banned Before Quarter-Final Match

The singing of the national anthem and raising of the flag was close to being banned at the start of the Flying Fijians’ Rugby World Cup quarter-final against England on Monday morning in France says Drug Free Sports Fiji’s Nick Barnes.

Barnes revealed this yesterday at the regional forum of Protecting Sports at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel.

According to Barnes Fiji is yet to adhere to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and anti-doping regulations.

“You may be aware in the recent (Rugby World Cup) quarter-final South Africa was hours away from not having their national anthem played or their national flag raised,” Barnes said.

“Why? You may ask – it is because South Africa has not complied with WADA’s anti-doping call; it must be legislated.

“Now this is why it is scary? Fiji was lucky as it was removed from that non-compliant list 12 hours before time.”

In other words, Fiji was 12 hours away from missing the given deadline from WADA, Barnes said.

“Fortunately, with the skin of my teeth, I was able to rally some help so to get us (Fiji) out of the list and for the time being be compliant,” he added.

For Fiji the anti-doping regulations has been prepared and is now waiting to be passed in Parliament in the November seating.

Barnes said that the WADA pressure, is due to the success of our national men’s rugby sevens team at the Olympics – Fiji is being promoted from to the Tier three to Tier two.

“Which you may think as fantastic, but Fiji has no choice about it. As Tier three, Fiji utilises the Oceania Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (ORADO), but now as Tier two, we cannot do that as we’ve to do it ourselves.

“Fortunately the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have given us a budget, we do have some money and on route to be established as an independent organisation.”

The GPH programme is funded by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and facilitated by the University of the South Pacific’s Pacific Centre for Sport and Sustainable Development.

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