Ana Tuiketei at Holiday Inn, Suva, on March 9, 2021. Photo: Sereana Salalo
World Rugby judicial officer, Ana Tuiketei is thriving in the sport we call our national game.
She is among 12 recipients of World Rugby’s Women Executive Leadership Scholarship Award.
The award, which was announced on International Women’s Day on Monday, sees Tuiketei and Papua New Guinea’s Lanna Assaigo-Kami the only two from the Oceania region.
Tuiketei is the second woman from Fiji after Fiji Rugby Union’s women’s development manager, Vela Naucukidi got the award in 2019.
The programme would be online since borders are still closed but she looks forward to meeting the 11 other participants.
“I am grateful to World Rugby for investing in women’s leadership in rugby through the Rugby Women’s Executive Leadership Scholarship Programme,” Tuiketei said.
“It is an honour to be named alongside other inspirational leaders and to be mentored by a global network of sports leaders through this programme. It is an even greater honor to be placed in such distinguished ranks as those of the past honorees, all of whom have made important contributions to sports and rugby. I look forward to the exciting experience this programme entails and mostly importantly contributing to my region as a leader.
Empower Women
“It is exciting and an initiative by World Rugby that should be applauded. Other sporting organisations are following suit to create ways to empower women to encourage them into leadership roles in sports.
“It’s also encouraging for our Fijian women involved in rugby that this is another avenue, in terms of developing their leadership skills.
“So, its 12-16 months depending on the course, and the mentoring programme starts as soon as they allocate a mentor.
“I’m incredibly grateful so as of last night, we have been communicating with other women leaders in the same sport who have already been selected.
“Women are already strong but in terms of sport it is to promote women’s participation in all sports, irrespective, whether it’s on the field or off the field.
“And to fight the stereotype of this type of women should be in this sport or that sport.
“So that is what I would like to see, the gender gap being filled in terms of women administrators, women’s coaches, women’s CEO of the national sporting federations that we have, even athletes and even trying to attain international qualification on the different sports that are there.”
And upon completion of this programme, Tuiketei indicated that she would like to see women in the Oceania region excel in administration of rugby.
She hopes that more women would also join into the judicial team.
Develop Region
“My interest is in the region, watching our region develop on the same level as the Northern Hemisphere and trying to show that, we are also talented and qualified, and we can also participate in the World 7s Series.
“It is not just the athletes but also on the admin side.
“And trying to show that we can achieve, there might be issues in terms of the time or the tournaments in terms of exposure for the Southern hemisphere.
“But I think we are punching above our weight and I am also looking forward to the mentoring programme for the Oceania region.
“And lastly I look forward to seeing more judicial officers being appointed in Fiji and the region that are women,” she added.
Tuiketei started being a judicial officer for World Rugby in 2013.
Last year she was appointed as the judicial for the women’s 15s World Cup qualifier for 2021.
And in 2019, she was part of the training at the Hamilton 7s for the judicial officers that were selected from the Oceania region.
She was also part of the judicial team for the 2020 Skipper Cup Premiership and Vodafone Vanua Championship.
Feedback: sereana.salalo@fijisun.com.fj
