The Fiji Rugby Union and Fiji Football Association are playing a ‘waiting game’ with hopes that they will benefit from the Fiji Interim Government 's 2009 National Budget to be announced tomorrow.

The FRU which had been kept alive with the co-help of the state through past governments did not apply for any assistance this year after a $2 million injection from the Interim Government for the 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup in France.

Fiji FA on the other hand says the budget assistance application has become a ritual which has never bear fruition.

“We have never received anything from any budget despite sending our annual submission through FASANOC. We are keeping fingers crossed in case something might happen this year because we have to send our Under-17 team to the Oceania play-off in New Zealand next year,” Fiji FA chief executive Bob Kumar added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has applied for $4m with $1,197,400.00 for sports development.

Director Youth and Sports, Josefa Matau said while the ministry¹s budget submission for youth development programmes totaled $ 2,371,500, the ministry has requested a total of $1,197,400 for sports development.

Items included in the overall sports budget include the national sporting organizations grants, Rural Sports field Development and Sports Outreach programmes.

He said the only new item requested under the sports development budget was funding for the newly established Boxing Commission of Fiji.

$1.29m was requested for the hosting of the Pacific Youth Festival in Suva next year;
the ministry had also made a submission for $100,000 for the Voluntary Youth
Organization Training Grant (VYOTG) and $1.7million for the National Youth
Service Scheme.

Matau said the annual VYOT grant is shared between Provincial Youth Councils in the form of allowances for the 70 plus Youth Coordinators and workers.

”This allowance assists these workers to carry out visitations to youth clubs and organizations within their districts. It is also a form of assistance or grants to Non-Government Youth Organizations for training and upskilling activities that they organize or would like their members to attend,” Matau said

Former Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudry allocated only $450,000 for sports last year.

Fijilive

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