'Everyone is on board now'

Peter Rees
Sometimes it takes a politician to clean up a logistical mess caused by politics. And that is exactly what Fiji Member of Parliament and former Opposition Leader, Mick Beddoes, has done since assuming the chair of the local organising committee preparing to host the 2007 World Netball Championships (WNC).

Preparations for the international event were on tenterhooks earlier this year when internal bickering threatened to have Fiji's hosting rights taken away and given to Australia.

But a timely meeting called by Beddoes in July saw the feuding parties reconcile their differences.

Later that month, he went to an International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) meeting in Florida (during the World Youth Championships) to report on the progress of the preparations.

“There is a new resolve in Fiji Netball,” said Beddoes, following the July meeting.

“Everyone is on board now and I'm confident it will remain this way.”

With that episode out of the way, preparations were back to normal and the WNC organising committee officially began its hunt for sponsors last September to find at least half of the projected F$3 million (NZ$2.5 million) it will take to host the event.

The other half is expected to come from ticket sales, merchandising and television rights
Fiji won the right to host the World Championships beating other bids from Australia and South Africa at a meeting of the IFNA in November 2003.

In doing so, Fiji will become the first Pacific nation to host the Netball World Championships.
Fiji's credentials for hosting the event were good having already hosted the IFNA World Youth Champs in 1992.

Fiji also met the infrastructural requirements having hosted the 2003 South Pacific Games.

The 2007 World Netball Championships will use the 4000-seat multipurpose FMF Dome situated near the capital in Laucala. The FMF Dome was one of the venues used in the South Pacific Games.

Dates were set for July 12-27, 2007. It is proposed the games will be held during the day to maximise spectator interest and allow for the many anticipated tourists coming to Fiji, to commute to and from the venue from the many hotels and resorts dotted around the Fiji isles.

But after the February 2004 visit by IFNA president Molly Rhone to Fiji to sign over the hosting rights to local officials, things went awry.

A power struggle emerged between the local organising committee and the Fiji Netball Association. In what is a reoccurring theme in Pacific sporting circles, the basis of the struggle was basically over who was calling the shots.

Mudslinging through the local media by representatives of all parties set back preparations considerably and ultimately led to the resignation of Beddoes' predecessor, Sitiveni Weleilakeba.

Weleilakeba had come on board initially as managing director of the successful Fijian Holdings, a company assisting to market the event.

Many predicted Beddoes would meet the same fate. There is an old saying that politics and sports don't mix.

But his years in politics and wealth of experience in tourism marketing had unwittingly prepared him for what was to come.

Some argued he could not handle dual roles of being a politician preparing for next year's general elections, and organising the World Netball Championships at the same time. But as defiant as he had been when he delivered his ultimatum of 'make peace or I will resign', he dismissed the resignation rumours.

“Like many of those individuals with skills and organisational abilities, I too have developed the ability to handle multiple tasks and not lose focus, so handling the 2007 Championships and my other activities is not a big deal.

“It will come down to the effective management of one's time, and I do a reasonably good job of it right now,” he told a local newspaper.

He went one step further to quell the doom theorists by dissolving the position of CEO, which he held as a dual role, wanting to remain solely as chair.

His reasoning was that he was prepared not to be paid for his services as his company was involved in aspects of the event organisation. It was a move seemingly made to counter mumblings of an apparent conflict of interest in his involvement.

Beddoes claimed the IFNA was not concerned with his 'other' role as a politician. He assured the local Fiji media that his campaigning next year would not get in the way saying a contingency plan was in place with other committee members assuming his chair duties at required times.

There are now fresh concerns that because of the infighting and constant delays, sponsors will be hard to find. But Beddoes claims domestic and international companies had expressed interest in backing the championships. He says the delay in the hunt for sponsorship had been deliberate because they needed to make sure everything was formalised and all sponsorship packages completed.

Finding sponsors and getting them soon would take the pressure of the WNC organising committee with the IFNA set to host their next board meeting in Fiji in November.

Ten IFNA officials will be attending the two-day meet. They will be inspecting facilities and briefed on progress with the event organisation.

Fiji as host for the World Netball Championships automatically qualifies with the five top placed nations at the last World Championships in Jamaica two years ago.

Under the new format, reigning champs New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica, England and South Africa have booked their tickets to Fiji.

The other teams will be decided at the upcoming regional and cross-region qualifiers. Samoa, sixth at the last World Championships, Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea are the top contenders to represent the region.

Fiji and Samoa will take part in the netball competition at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games next March.

Fiji has been drawn in the same pool as world champions New Zealand with Samoa in the other pool with host Australia.