Venue: Vodafone Arena
The President – International Table Tennis Federation;
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Youth and Sports;
Chief Executive Officer – Fiji Sports Council;
Chairperson of the Fiji National Sports Commission;
Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Bula vinaka and a very good evening to you all.
It is indeed a great pleasure to be here this evening to officially close the Multiple Oceania Table Tennis Events.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Three days ago, you were standing here as teams carrying flags from Australia, Cook Islands, Guam, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Fiji.
Today you stand surrounded by old and new friends. You have defeated some of them and you have lost against others. That is what makes you friends. That is how sport works. Your weakest competitor is your best friend because he or she will make you stronger. Thanks to the competition you will grow.
So, congratulations to today’s winners! Congratulations also to those who have not succeed – congratulations for trying and participating.
Whether you have won a medal or not, you are all winners. In a long run your active and continued participation in sports and athletics would pay you rich dividends in terms of fitness, well-being, and happiness.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Sports, particularly team sports engender purposeful and meaningful social relationships. Man is a social animal, we have a need to socially connect with others. These social interactions with your friends and workmates provide you highly desirable security, belongingness, and ultimately happiness. Therefore, winning or losing in sports or athletic is not at all important, but the happiness originating from the participation in sports or athletics is highly cherished trophy.
You have competed, you have laughed, you have cried, you have suffered and you have cheered. You have lived together and you have grown together. You have had challenges and you have been sad because you are sportspeople that want to achieve more. You do not settle for the ordinary, but all want to shine together as a team.
Those who could not script victory on this occasion should not be disappointed but analyze their performance and set out on a further mission. You need to remember that the winner is not twice as much better than a runner up.
Ladies and Gentlemen
There are many fringe benefits of being an athlete. It gives you the confidence, strength and enhances physical productivity. Sports teaches us how to work in harmony with other people, exert whenever necessary, accept defeat with equal ease and work as a consolidated unit.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The three regional events namely the ITTF Oceania Para Table Tennis Championships, the 2017 ITTF Oceania Cup and the 2017 ITTF Oceania Junior Championships comes to a conclusion today and I hope your experience in the last three days have provided a space for building social ties and self-improvement.
Given that this is the first time for Fiji, or any country in Oceania to host three distinct regional events covering people with disabilities, the elite and the youth, it is our hope that you have all enjoyed your time here in Suva and of course the Fijian hospitality.
Sports in Fiji is one of the greatest sources of unity and of inspiration for our people.
Ladies and Gentlemen
With the ITTF World Cadet Challenge scheduled to be held in October, there is no down time for Fiji. This has not only provided the opportunity for Fiji to showcase its ability to host major regional and international table tennis events, but to continue raising the profile and awareness of people with disabilities, encourage youth participation and inspire other developing countries to host such prestigious events.
At this juncture, I would like to thank the organisers for a job well done. Organising such events are not easy, as it requires a lot of patience and demands a lot of attention. You have proven that table tennis is inclusive and a sport for all and one of the highest profiled and played sports in the world. And while it may be a minor sport in Fiji, it could very well become a leading sport due its inclusiveness and its adaptability to be played anywhere and with anything.
I would also like to thank all the stakeholders – locally, regionally and internationally for making this a fun filled and successful event. Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu.
Ladies and Gentlemen
With those words, I wish you all a safe trip back home, greater success in future and hope you being a sports person, will add to the glory of the game and your country. I now declare the Multiple ITTF Oceania Table Tennis Events closed.
Vinaka Vakalevu. Thank You.