Five team Fiji athletes secure olympic scholarships for LA 2028

Five Team Fiji athletes have been award­ed a prestigious Olympic scholarship ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Speaking to SUNsports yesterday, Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) chief executive officer Vannessa Kilner confirmed the athletes have been selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship Programme.

"Five Fijian athletes have been awarded prestigious Olympic Scholarships for Ath­letes in LA 2028 through the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Solidarity Programme as they begin their journey to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles," she said.

Kilner said the list includes three male ath­letes and two female athletes.

"Three male athletes have been awarded David Young from swimming, Gerard Takayawa from judo, and Viliame Ratulu from sailing.

"We also have Lolohea Naitasi from taek­wondo and Heleina Young from athletics. These are the athletes who have already been awarded," she said.

She confirmed that there are still a couple of vacant spots. "Possibly, we have a couple of spots vacant at the moment and will add more to it," Kil­ner said.

Identifying potential athletes

She added that they are still identifying other potential athletes and a further an­nouncement will be made once selections are finalised.

"The Olympic scholarship is a funding pro­gramme. Athletes receive financial support for their training, development, and, poten­tially, qualification events.

"They receive funds either monthly or quarterly, which they can use for equipment, coaching fees, and competition travel.

"The IOC scholarship is usually awarded to athletes who we believe have the potential to qualify for the Olympics.

The aim of the programme is to help them achieve qualification," she said.

Kilner added that this is a proud moment for Fiji and a significant step forward in strengthening Team Fiji's Olympic cam­paign.

Scholarship recipients

■ Viliame Ratulu - Sailing

■ Gerard Takayawa - Judo

■ David Young - Swimming

■ Heleina Young - Athletics

■ Lolohea Naitasi - Taekwondo