Who Will Be Our Flagbearers?

Two-time Olympic Games gold medallist Jerry Tuwai and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Rusila Nagasau are likely to be Fiji’s flagbearers at the opening cer­emony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Eng­land, on Thursday.

Tuwai was also part of the men’s rugby sevens team that won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

The 33 year-old who was named the World Rugby Sev­ens Player of the Decade is on a mission to achieve his two immediate sporting goals be­fore considering retirement.

His goals are to win the coun­try’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in sevens rugby and in September to hoist the Rugby World Cup Sevens title in South Africa.

Nagasau leads the Fijian women’s rugby sevens side who are after their first Com­monwealth Games medal.

In an earlier interview with one of the country’s leading sports administrator Patrick Bower he said the selection of the flag bearers is based on the athletes’ achievements and merits.

“Someone that is a national icon and people look up to,” he said in the interview.

Tuwai and Nagasau were also appointed to be Team Fiji’s flagbearers during the opening ceremony of the To­kyo 2020 Olympic Games.

However, Tuwai pulled out in the eleventh hour due to a request from the sevens rugby management that he needs to be rested as their event started the day after the opening cer­emony.

He was replaced by swimmer Taichi Vakasama who is also part of the Team Fiji contin­gent in Birmingham.

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