The Fijian Government welcomes the statement by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the progress Fiji is making towards the introduction of the country’s first genuine democracy later in the year.
A statement released yesterday highlights that the Government looks forward to a formal invitation to rejoin the Commonwealth in due course.
Fijian athletes and sports people will especially welcome the opportunity to compete in the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.
The Government notes that those games are now only four months away and Fijian athletes may not be as prepared as they would normally be to compete.
The statement reads that with this in mind, the decision on whether to go to Glasgow will be left to the various sporting bodies in Fiji.
Meanwhile, the decision to lift Fiji’s full suspension was made after the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in London on Friday night.
Fiji was handed a full suspension in 2009. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group has welcomed the significant progress made in Fiji towards holding general elections by September this year.
A statement from the Group following their 43rd meeting highlights that the decision on Fiji’s current full suspension from the Commonwealth should be changed to suspension from the Councils of the Commonwealth.
This decision will permit Fiji once again to participate in a range of Commonwealth activities, including the Commonwealth Games.
Lord Smith of Kelvin, chairman of the Glasgow 2014 organising committee, said he now looks forward to welcoming Fiji’s athletes and officials to Scotland for the games.
The President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Tunku Imran has welcomed the decision and was delighted to welcome Fiji back into the Commonwealth Games family.
Story by: Gwen Mc Goon
