With the 2010 Coca Cola Games set to kick off this Friday at the TFL Stadium, the biggest question that now needs to be addressed is whether the games should be used to develop our athletes using international standards or just our standards.
The Fiji Secondary Schools Athletics Association General Secretary and one of the main organizers of the Coca Cola Games, Vuli Waqa stresses that the no false start rule will be used in this year's games as that is now the international rule.
It is always stressed that the Coca Cola Games is a stepping stone to bigger things like international meets for the secondary school athletes.
But a number of officials of the different school zones are opposing the idea, saying we should not have the new international rule.
They want the old rule to stay for now.
The new No False Start Rule is that any athlete that has a false start or break at the beginning of the race will be disqualified. The old rule is that any athlete can break in the first start however the athlete that breaks start when the race starts for the second time, is disqualified.
The issue here is that the international rule puts every athlete on notice that they will be disqualified if they have a false start. There will be no warnings.
This issue will be top of the agenda when the technical meeting and the Secondary Schools Athletics Association AGM takes place tomorrow.
Some are threatening a boycott if the international rule comes in while others have stressed that they will take a vote on the issue on whether the new rule should be implemented.
Sila Central College Head Coach, Eparama Ratu said they are not happy with the international rule being implemented in the Coca Cola Games this year. He is suggesting that the rule should come into force in the next two years.
Marist Brothers High School Manager, Ashish Prasad said they are going into the games with an open mind, and are not worried whether the rule is in place or is taken out for this year.
However National Atheletics Coach, Bola Tufou said the international rule on No False Start should not be used in this year's Coca Cola Games.
We asked him why the people opposing the implementation of the rule are not embracing it as this is now the international standard.
We also asked whether it should be every coach=s focus to ensure that the athletes are competing at an international level, understanding and practicing the international rules.
Tufou said while he supports the international standards, more work needs to be done before it's implementation.
The Secondary Schools Athletics Association meets at 10am tomorrow to discuss the issue.
Should international rules be implemented
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