Pacific

Sports news in brief for April 11

13:21 pm on 11 April 2023

Fiji beats Samoa for bronze in Singapore

The Fiji men's 7s team defeated Samoa 24-19 to claim the bronze medal at the Singapore 7s on Sunday night.

That was sweet revenge for the Fijians, who were beaten 28-7 by their Pacific neighbour in the pool clash on Saturday.

With the win Fiji gets a step closer to consolidating its birth at the 2024 Olympic Games in Franc, finishing at third spot on the HSBC 7s series points table behind New Zealand and Argentina.

Samoa looks set to go through the repecharge later in the year at the Oceania Sevens tournament.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is the first men's qualifier for the Olympic after winning the Singapore 7s title.

The All Blacks Sevens won the Singapore Sevens for the first time in 18 years after beating Argentina 19-17 in a final showdown.

The men's competition moves to France and England next month, in the final two rounds.

Solomons archery team leaves for Oceania meet

The Solomon Islands 'Team Archery' will be using the 2023 World Archery Oceania Target Championships in Australia to gain experience and gauge their development.

The event is being held at the Adelaide Ashton Oval in South Australia from April 13-16.

Solomon islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS) Performance Manager (PM) for Portfolio Three (Racquet, Aquatic, Target and Individual sports), Jackie Travert said she hopes the players will experience what it is like to compete at international level.

"We know they have been training hard and it is good for them to have a competition so that they will see where they are at in terms of their performance. We hope they have a great experience and know what it is like to perform at an international level.

"This is so that when they return they will know to work on areas they need to work on leading into the Pacific Games, so we wish them all the best," Travertz said.

Solomons 'Team Archery' members: Andrew Lano (coach), Margaret Melue, Marissa Maisa, Robson Talu, Doris Laula, John Ruku, Moses Nadu, Isaiah Paineitala, Kelly Baedonga, Janet Saru and Mary Koke (SINIS Rehab female coach). Photo: SINIS MEDIA

Powerlifters representing Solomons in Niue

Three powerlifters will represent the Solomon Islands at the Oceania Regional Powerlifting Federation Championships at Niue this week.

The three are Michael Maomaiasi, Elizabeth Bisafo and Catherine Temete, and they will be led by manager Andrew Joe Tuhaika.

Solomons will be joined by Nauru, Tonga and hosts Niue at the meet, which will be held from April 12-14 at the Pacific Way Bar.

The Niue Powerlifting Federation said on their Facebook page that they are excited about hosting the event, the first Oceania meet for the country to host.

Four teams for Melanesian Futsal Cup

The first-ever Melanesian Futsal Cup kicks off in Suva on Wednesday with the hosts taking on Vanuatu.

In the second game later that day, New Caledonia face Solomon Islands at the Vodafone Arena.

Further round-robin games will take place on Thursday and Saturday with the final and the 3rd/4th place match occurring on Sunday.

The Oceania Futsal Nations Cup will take place in October.

Solomons to take on Malaysia

The Solomon Islands men's football team is set to take on Malaysia in a friendly match in June during the next FIFA window for friendly matches.

Solomon Islands is looking to build on their recent success in the Tri-Nations friendly tournament held in Lautoka, Fiji where they finished top after victories over Fiji U-20, Vanuatu, and the senior Fiji team.

Malaysia is ranked 145 by FIFA but has recorded four wins in five games this year, including a 1-0 win over regional rivals Thailand in January.

Tahiti footballer has trial in Italy

A young Tahitian footballer's excellent recent form has seen him being picked for a week-long trial with top Italian side Empoli.

Keanan Faure was one the standout players of the Oceania Under-17 Championship in January, helping Tahiti to third place.

Faure plays on both flanks and his one-on-one skills are among his strengths.

Meanwhile, Solomon Islands striker Raphael Lea'i made his third appearance for Bosnian side FK Velež Mostar in the m:tel Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 19-year-old came off the bench in the 82nd minute of the match against FK Leotar.