THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT,
PRODUCTIVITY, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, YOUTH AND
SPORTS MR. PARVEEN BALA KUMAR
Lomainasau Community Village Hall, Nakelo, Tailevu - Wednesday, 10.00am 23rd September 2020

• Turaga na Tui Lomainasau
• Turaga Nai Talatala
• Honourable Assistant Minister
• Respective Village Elders
• Invited Guests
• My Ministry Staff
• Members of the Media
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Bula Vinaka and Good Morning to you all.
First and foremost, my condolences to the vanua for the recent passing of one of your Turaga ni mataqali.
Secondly, I would like to thank the village elders and youths for a warm traditional welcome ceremony.
I am very glad to be with you all this morning. I am also delighted that the Ministry of Youth and Sports is making a positive contribution towards the physical, mental and spiritual development of the youths, athletes and those that will use the equipment.
One of the key priorities of the Fijian Government is building a healthier Fiji. While we are making the necessary investments in improving the quality of and access to healthcare, we also are doing what we can to get Fijians moving.
Exercise is a key part of a healthy lifestyle — and one of the best, and most fun, ways to do that is through sport and recreational activity.
Just like our youths and students present here today, I am also very passionate about sports - rugby being one of my favourite sports.
I also share the passion, as do other rugby and sports loving people in Tailevu, in maintaining a healthy diet and fitness. So here I am today, happy to be able to hand-over this new gym equipment so that your community and nearby communities as well, can train safely while participating actively and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
However, using weights is a highly technical activity. It requires you to be trained in the theory and the practice. We have made this training available and we continue to work with Weightlifting Fiji to ensure that you will have the correct technique in place and so to avoid injury.
But let me tell you, Fiji winning the Gold Medal in the Rio Olympics did not happen overnight. There is only one way a nation as small as Fiji can dominate the world rugby scene - hard work and dedication built on our natural talent.
This can be testified by two great sons and ambassadors of Lomainasau- Alivereti Veitokani and Nemia Kenatale. They have represented Fiji at the highest of sports competitions and have also travelled the world and they have also given back immensely to the development of sports and youth in Lomainasau.
So on behalf of the Fijian Government, I would like to acknowledge their contribution and say thank you so much.
Not everyone represents Fiji on the world stage of rugby or any sport. The equipment provided to you today is important as part of the hard work and dedication part and you now have to bring your natural talent to the gym.
Rugby, like other sports, is a great teacher. It teaches you how to work together, how to use individual skills collectively for the benefit of a team. How to persevere against great odds. It also teaches us how to show respect, in victory and in defeat.
These are lessons that will help you live fulfilling lives, even when things may not go your way. Particularly when the going gets tough.
Fitness and athletic competition are a big part of our national life. We cannot all be Olympians, but we can all appreciate and participate in physical activity - and we all should.
Therefore Ladies and Gentlemen, if you make changes in your lifestyle, eat healthier foods and exercise in gyms like the one opening today, you can give yourself many more years of precious time with the ones you love.
Please encourage all community members to work out and invite them to participate in either athletic competition or simply to maintain fitness. You could very well be saving their life.
I am excited to see you make use of this new gym equipment, and look forward to seeing athletes from Lomainasau Village continue to excel.
This is just the beginning, my team will be here to work on overseeing this. I can assure you if there is an assistance required, we will support.
Finally to the young people of Lomainasau and Tailevu I say: Dedicate yourselves to keeping fit. Use this equipment well and look after it.
I wish the Lomainsau People and all the people of Tailevu every success as I formally hand over this equipment for your use and benefit.
Vinaka Vakalevu and Thank you.
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