Rugby stars launch Sports for Health campaign in Tonga

Feb 6 • General News, International, World Rugby • 3255 Views • Comments Off on Rugby stars launch Sports for Health campaign in Tonga

Former All Black Pita Alatini and Black Ferns star Charlene Gubb will front the launch of a new rugby programme in Tonga today aimed at improving the health of young people in the Pacific Islands.

The four-year Sports for Health Rugby programme, funded by New Zealand, will begin in Tongatapu then roll out to Tonga’s outer islands. The programme is set to reach over 800 teenagers and 80 coaches.

Piloted in Samoa last year, the initiative will be rolled out in Fiji in April and the Cook Islands in May with teenagers in each country introduced to a non-contact form of rugby called Quick Rip.

Tongan-born Alatini, who played 17 tests for the All Blacks, said he was looking forward to using rugby as a vehicle to inspire and educate teenagers.

“I consider myself lucky to have two homes both here in New Zealand and in Tonga where a lot of my family still live, so it is great to have the opportunity to give back to the people of Tonga.

“It’s going to be fun to go to Tonga with Charlene who is also a Tongan-New Zealander. We’ll be looking to pass on our knowledge to the next generation.”

The rugby programme forms part of the Pacific Sporting Partnership initiative announced by the New Zealand government in 2016.

The programme is a partnership between New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and is designed as one way to address chronic non-communicable diseases in the Pacific. Lack of regular physical activity among young people is a key risk factor for development of chronic diseases.

Teenagers will take part in a nine-week Quick Rip tournament, which will run alongside an educational programme designed to encourage healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.

NZR Head of Community Rugby Brent Anderson said the key driver was to leave a legacy throughout the Pacific Islands.

“Pacific Island rugby gives so much to the game here in New Zealand and it is fantastic to provide an initiative which will positively impact Pacific communities for generations to come,” he said.

“At the heart of the programme is a desire to give young people the opportunity to participate in sport and develop a life-long love of rugby and live a healthy life.”

NZR, in partnership with the Tonga Rugby Union, will provide Quick Rip equipment, coaching training, and deliver modules on healthy eating and lifestyles throughout Tonga.

The Sports for Health (Rugby) programme will kick-off on Tuesday 6 February with a ceremony launched by the Acting New Zealand High Commissioner and Acting Prime Minister of Tonga at Kolomotu’a community rugby field in Nukuʻalofa.