Know Sports Policies: Nemani

Administrators must be fa­miliar with the country’s sports policies if they are serious about development, says Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sports Maretino Nemani.

His comments come as the minis­try works to finalise four new draft sports policies for presentation to Parliament this year.

These include the Sports Physi­cal Activity Policy, the Safety Pol­icy, the Anti-doping Policy and the Child Protection Policy.

The policies aim to boost the de­velopment of sport in the country and align athlete welfare laws to international standards.

“It is particularly important if you are leading a sporting body. It is very important for you to know how these policies may play out,” Nemani said.

He was speaking as a panellist at the 2019 Annual National Sports Organisation Conference at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel yesterday.

Nemani also announced plans for a major seminar scheduled for next month that will bring togeth­er international experts to speak on crime in sport.

“We want to keep things like har­assment and bullying out of the game,” he said

“The ministry with the Fiji Na­tional Sports Commission and the Council of Europe is bringing to Fiji an international seminar on manipulation of sport competi­tion.

“This conference will be held in the first week of April and aims to find ways to keep crime out of sport.

“It has fundamental links to all policies that we have now. The aim of the operational arm of it is to keep crime out of sport.”

Edited by Osea Bola

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