Hoops for Health Targets National Teams

Funded through the Australian Sports Commission and administered through FIBA in Oceania, Basketball Fiji run program, Hoops for Health, not only focuses its attention on Primary School Students or middle-aged women but also on the National Men’s and Women’s Team currently undergoing vigorous training in preparation for the Pacific Games that will be held in Papua New Guinea in the month of July.

Recently appointed Hoops for Health Program Coordinator Mr. Saula Koroi who is also the National Men’s Team Head Coach said the purpose of the session was to educate our Senior reps the importance of eating healthy and the risks involved if one does not monitor or manage his/or her diet well. Basketball Chief Operations Officer, Laisiasa Puamau said that National Reps are an important group for the program and are viewed as leaders, role models amongst their peers, clubs or communities and with this mind the sporting icons can make a positive impact by passing or re-enforcing the health messages shared today to their clubs, association or communities.

The National Men’s and Women’s Teams were addressed by Mr. VIliame Qio of Diabetes Fiji Organisation who spoke to the athletes and team officials on the importance and the need for athletes to eat healthy through a balanced served plate. In addition he further spoke on the different food groups and emphasized the importance of eating at the right times and the reasons behind consuming specific food groups during the three meal times. Mr. Qio concluded by stressing the importance of adopting a balanced eating routine and the food types to digest before and after training sessions.

Basketball Fiji President Major General (Rtd.) Ioane Naivalurua also took the opportunity and addressed the National Team by saying “Everyone needs to watch what they eat as you have heard from Mr. Qio”. “You can’t afford to take in anything without it having a negative effect to your body and your mind, especially now that you preparing yourselves to attain nothing else but the gold medal”.  “What you do relates to three words – Attitude, Character and Reputation.” “Attitude the way you think or express yourself, Character is who you are, your personality and your values & principles and Reputation is what people think of you or say about you.” He continues, "Information such as knowing what to eat is vital to an athlete because it allows them to coordinate their diets so that they become healthier and fit for whatever it is that the coaches will throw your way. There is no testing machine, you are the ones who decide what goes in your body".

Following an hour of team training, a hearty breakfast was provided by both team managers (Willie Kwansing and Tamara Smith) with the intention of teaching the players what a healthy meal should be comprised of. There were no signs of sweet pastries, the usual bacon, sausages and eggs, were a no-no and fruits, fruit juice, milk and wheat-bix were in abundance.

As a follow up session Mr. Qio will be working closely with each individual for a month by providing feedback and further advice to players. Player diaries have been distributed to the players who are requested to record their training volume and food intake per day. Next week Mr. Qio will collect the diaries and provide individual assessments and feedback in the form of an interview. The goals is to further educate and to ensure that our role models understand the importance of developing healthy eating habits. 

 

 




Comments

Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.