Beach volleyball pending ‘wild card’
BY ROMULUS HUTA
(NOCSI), Martin Rara
A total of 11 athletes across five codes will represent Solomon Islands in this year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast from April 4 to 15.
The five confirmed codes are Athletics, Weightlifting, Triathlon, Table Tennis and Boxing.
Beach Volleyball is on the list as well but their participation is still pending their application for ‘wild card’ entry to take part in the Games.
A ‘wild card’ enables special admission for athletes or team who fail to qualify to participate in a competition or games on merit.
President of National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI), Martin Rara said beach volleyball missed out to qualify to the Commonwealth Games on merit during last December’s qualifiers held in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
However, Rara added that NOCSI along with the Solomon Islands Volleyball Federation (SIVF) have applied to the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) for wild card entry for the national beach volleyball women’s team.
“Our application is still pending and hopefully we get green light from FIVB regarding the wild card,” Rara said.
Rara said the confirmed sports for the Gold Coast Games are yet to submit in the names of their competitors except for weightlifting who already have their two athletes qualified on merit.
They are Jenlyn Wini and Mary Lifu Kini. Wini and Kini secured their tickets during last September’s Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Australia.
Wini is the current commonwealth champion in the women’s 58kh division.
