Dual Olympic gold medallist Jerry Tuwai will not be part of this year’s McDonald’s Coral Coast Fiji 7s and according to the tournament organisers, Tuwai, who is one of the three tournament-appointed ambassadors for 2026, has made the difficult decision to step back from all formal and scheduled ambassador engagements as he takes time to grieve a personal loss.
They say this decision has been made with great care and respect for what Tuwai and his family are going through.
Tuwai will be spending this time privately with his loved ones, and the tournament organisers have fully supported his decision, placing his well-being above all else.
The organisers say Tuwai is not just an ambassador to this tournament and their hearts are with him during this grieving period.
They say they extend their deepest condolences to Tuwai and his loved ones, and they ask everyone to respect his privacy during this deeply personal time.
They also say that Tuwai has shared his gratitude for the understanding shown to him and has sent his best wishes to everyone involved in the tournament.
The organisers highlighted that as a result of this, Tuwai will also step away from playing duties with the Mike Friday Select 7s team during this period and will be replaced by Samisoni Sadole, who has been called into the squad.
The Coral Coast Fiji 7s will be held from Thursday to Saturday this week at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka.
