More than 90 participants took part in Terre de Jeux 2024 Race

More than 90 participants from the Disability Community, Diplomatic Corps, Special Schools, FASANOC and ONOC were part of a global 24 hour relay Terre de Jeux 2024 race that was organised by the French Embassy in Fiji on Tuesday at Albert Park in Suva as part of the occasion of 500 days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

French Ambassador to Fiji, François-Xavier Léger, says first, they paid tribute to each country’s sports and athletes, their talent and their performance while also spreading the Olympic and Paralympic values in contributing to get more people moving, to unite the sports movement around their respective organisations, workforce and more importantly their communities.

Léger says the race provided an opportunity to deliver global messages and this year in Fiji, the Embassy had decided to flag up a special theme, which was “Sport and Inclusivity of members from the Disability Community.

He stated that sports united and brought people together, and thanked each and every participant that took part in the race.

He also adds they believe it is very important to have the disabled community to actively take part in all forms of sports, whether it be just for fun or at local, regional and international stages as well.

FASANOC President Makarita Lenoa said the Terre de Jeux 2024 race was an event that believed in the power of sports and that sport was for all, and here in Fiji we are taking part in it through the French Embassy here in Suva and it is giving us an opportunity to again celebrate the power of sport and to believe that sport can change lives.

Disability Community and Para athlete, Mere Roden says she was thankful to be part of the race and there was still a need for more women to be part of sport, especially in Para-Table Tennis.

Roden says there is still a lot of work to be done and it is not just about women in the urban centres, it is about women out in the rural communities.

Fiji was the second country to host the race following New Zealand. A total of 128 embassies and countries took part in this year’s edition.