Fiji to raise travel sanctions issue before International Rugby Board - Rugby News
Fiji is ready to challenge the travel sanctions imposed by New Zealand on its rugby players and officials before the International Rugby Board (IRB). New Zealand had put a travel ban on military or military related people from Fiji, after a military coup
in 2006.
The stern travel sanctions have become a great hurdle for the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) in selecting the best team for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup starting this year in September at New Zealand. Fiji Rugby Union has said on May 25th, that it
would raise the issue before International Rugby Union as its major players face travel sanctions by the Rugby World Cup host, New Zealand. Last month, IRB has conditionally allowed Fiji to participate in the forthcoming Rugby World Cup if the Union holds
transparent elections to choose the board’s members.
However, the host is not ready to remove the travel sanctions imposed on players and officials with connections to the military as their World Cup minister, Murray McCully, has denied any flexibility in this regard. New Zealand has made the revival of democracy
compulsory for lifting the travel bans.
Talking to the media, Fiji Rugby Union’s chairman, Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga, has asked IRB to take notice of situation. He also threatened that Fiji would boycott Seven Rugby’s leg of New Zealand if sanctions are not lifted.
Tikoitoga argued that Fiji has got the potential to compete with major teams from around the world if military related players are allowed to play in New Zealand. He added, “We were able to provide a team that can be competitive in that world stage. Unfortunately
we couldn’t field the same teams to play in Australia and New Zealand. We sent a different team to Hong Kong - we changed the whole team to go to Adelaide - because of the restrictions placed on us.”
He further stated that, “New Zealand is saying they will not allow military personnel into the Rugby World Cup but we have not heard anything from the IRB on where they stand with this.”
On the other hand Fiji’s military leadership has no intentions of holding political elections until 2014.
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