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Sport and the Pacific Region Cross-Cultural Currents

Samoa was the host nation for the South Pacific Games (25 August– 17 September 2007) and the National University of Samoa (NUS), located in the capital city of Apia, was part of the Official Games Village. NUS, with the support of major sponsors and partners, including the School of Human Movement, Recreation and Performance at Victoria University (Australia), will also host its inaugural international sport studies conference from 1–3 October 2007. Conference Organising Committee The broad theme of the conference Narelle Bedford is ‘Sport and the Pacific Region: National University of Samoa Cross-Cultural Currents’, although Rob Hess papers dealing with more specific themes Victoria University and topics are welcomed. The full Andrew Minogue program for the conference is listed at Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/RobHess/. Suzie Schuster What follows is a selection of the edited National University of Samoa abstracts from the conference. Sport and the Pacific Region: Cross-Cultural Currents 28 page 11

National Universit y of Samoa Apia, Samoa 1–3 October 2007 Abstracts and Delegates Cross-Cultural Currents edited by Rob Hess

Keynote Address

RichardUniversity of Technology, Sydney Cashman

Richard Cashman is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism and Director of the Australian Centre of Olympic Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. In 2006 he published The Bitter-Sweet Awakening: The Legacy of Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and he is completing a book (with Simon Darcy) on the impacts of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. He has published extensively on the history of Australian and Asian sport, and some of his recent research includes work on the branding of Australian cricket. A former president of the Australian Society for Sports History and former editor of the journal Sporting Traditions, his address at the International Sports Studies Conference in Samoa is entitled ‘“Swimming with the Big Boys”: Global Games in the Asia-Pacific’.

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Narelle Bedford Peter Burke National University of Samoa RMIT University How Sporting Accidents or Trans-Pacific Football: Disputes Have Assisted in Austus Football During the the Development of Law in Second World War the Pacific Sport history is littered with Samoa, Australia and many other failed attempts at creating hybrid codes Pacific nations share a common legal of football. During the Second World tradition and system. Court cases which War, local footballers in Melbourne arise from sporting endeavours have competed against military servicemen assisted in the development of the legal from the United States in a hybrid game system since the 1800s. In this paper, called ‘Austus’. This code, combining a small selection of historical court features of Australian and American cases arising from sporting accidents football, emerged following the ‘invasion’ or disputes will be featured, with a of Australia by many thousands of particular emphasis on the facts of each servicemen from the US. The game case. It will be shown, for example, how was established in response to pleas for a yachting accident in 1897 helped in the military assistance from the Australian development of contract law, how golfing government. As the paper makes accidents likewise assisted in negligence clear, Austus was invented against a law, and how the sport of kings, or background of increasing tension and horseracing, has greatly promoted the outbreaks of violence and bloodshed legal doctrine of natural justice. This between servicemen from Australian linkage between sport generated court and the US, as attempts were made cases and the development of law can be to foist the Australian game upon the expected to continue into the future. For American visitors. Australian sponsors instance, a current case from a Fiji-based were keen to expand the game, increase rugby dispute and its impact on internet sporting contact with the US and promote domain name rules will also be discussed. Australian football. Like most hybrid As sport assumes an increasingly codes, however, Austus quickly faded important place in modern society, and as despite the enthusiasm of the founders to sporting disputes or accidents inevitably expand the game. Although perhaps just continue to occur, this link can be relied a curio in football history, an examination upon to be sustained for many years to of Austus raises a series of issues about come. the development of Australian football and provides an opportunity to dwell upon the fate of other such hybrids. The key questions revolve around the fact that Australia’s sporting traditions and games were British in origin, so why was there a sudden shift to find a trans-Pacific playing field and why did the code ultimately fail? Sport and the Pacific Region: Cross-Cultural Currents 28 page 13

• What challenges and prospects lie Simon Milne ahead for such an approach? School of Tourism and Hospitality and New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, • What is a potential research agenda Auckland University of Technology, and that can underpin the development of such an approach. Geoff Dickson The paper builds on recent work School of Sport and Recreation and conducted by the New Zealand Tourism New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, Research Institute for the European Auckland University of Technology Union and South Pacific Tourism Organisation on the review and Tourism, Sport and development of national and regional Economic Development in tourism strategies in the region. The paper relies on three methodological the South Pacific: Towards approaches: analysis of secondary a Regional Approach material including strategy documents, interviews with key stakeholders, and a The links between tourism, sport and web-survey of attitudes towards regional economic development are of increasing tourism strategy development. interest to policy makers around the world. Governments at all scales are creating strategies to leverage the undoubted benefits that can stem from the effective development of sport-led Andrew Minogue tourism activity. The South Pacific is no Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee exception to this trend — with a number of nations in the region beginning to The South Pacific Games: pay more attention to the sports sector as a tool to build destination awareness, Sport, the Island Way enhance community and cultural attributes, and generate economic The South Pacific Games were returns. This paper begins with a review first held in 1963 in Fiji and then of the role that sport-related activities approximately every three years until the play in current national tourism policies 1970s when they moved to a four year in the South Pacific. The focus then cycle. The XIIIth edition of the Games shifts to the 2003–13 Regional Tourism has just been completed in Samoa; with Strategy for the South and Central Pacific. the XIVth edition scheduled for 2011 Given the regional nature of much policy in New Caledonia. From that time the development in the South Pacific, and Games will be known as the ‘Pacific the multi-national context within which Games’, to better reflect the inclusion of participants from the Northern Pacific much of the region’s tourism development region. In Samoa there were over 4500 and sporting events take place, the athletes and officials representing a following key questions are asked: number of nations and territories in 33 • Can the links between tourism, sport and sports. The size of the Games has been economic development be strengthened growing steadily but they may be checked through a regional approach? in future years, as a maximum of 28 sports page 14 b INTERNATIONAL SPORTS STUDIES CONFERENCE

has been imposed in an attempt to keep steady, and in some cases, dramatic, the hosting of future games within reach decline. In response, the government of as many island nations as possible. of Pakistan constituted the National In this paper, the numerous unique Sports Committee in 1967, and through features of these Games will be analysed, the Pakistan Sports Control Board including governance, participating began to formulate policies arising from entities and involvement of international the recommendations of a number of and regional sporting organisations. conferences and committees that were Another aspect that will also be covered overseen by military personnel who is the attempts to bring sponsorship were officials of the Board. Based on and commercial considerations into the an analysis of these recommendations, Games to ensure its continued economic this paper seeks to outline the reasons viability. The major lessons to be learnt for the decline of international sporting from the Samoan experience will be in achievements for Pakistan, and assesses the future use and viability of expensive to what degree any subsequent policy venues constructed to host this event. changes have been responsible for limited successes that have been attained in recent times. The complex relationship between politics, religion and the military not only provides the contextual basis Akhtar Nawaz for this discussion, but generates some worthwhile aspects of international and Rob Hess comparison for South Pacific nations. Victoria University Lessons From Pakistan: Historical Influences on the Dawn Rasmussen Development of Elite Sport National University of Samoa in an Islamic State The Development of Sport The Islamic nation of Pakistan came into existence when it gained in Samoa: The Role of independence from Britain in 1947. Women and Education Initially, the Pakistani government failed to formulate any specific policies The development of sport in relating to the administration of sport, Samoa began in the mid-nineteenth and, instead, relied on ancient sporting century when British and New Zealand traditions to maintain its culture of immigrants settled in Samoa. Organised sports, games and recreations. Despite the sport was played mainly by the European lack of direct government involvement, and part-European residents. Sport Pakistan was still able to achieve some was largely an elitist affair, but change notable international successes in occurred when amateur sport became sports such as cricket, hockey, wrestling, more organised and professionalized for and squash. However, from the 1960s, international competition. This paper Pakistan’s sporting achievements in the looks at the development of sport in international arena were marked by a Samoa with a particular focus on the role Sport and the Pacific Region: Cross-Cultural Currents 28 page 15 of women and education. Information was argument for the support of sport from a collated from three sources, namely data development perspective. The three key collected from a questionnaire circulated elements of the ASOP are: to administrators of the major sports 1. A commitment to ensuring high quality played in Samoa, interviews conducted aid programs that have appropriate with prominent sports people and senior objectives, commitment to quality citizens of Samoa, and the author’s own designs, effective project management, personal knowledge gained through and a focus on sustainability. many years of involvement in various sports dating back to the early 1950s. 2. Ensuring a participatory approach (appreciative inquiry) to program design is used to identify local issues and priorities, confirm stakeholders likely to participate in project Rob Regent activities, develop shared objectives Sport for Development Consultant, Pacific and implementation mechanisms. Region-Australian Sports Commission 3. Contributing to increasing the evidence base of the various benefits Developing Sport Programs of sport by collecting quantitative and by Applying Quality Aid qualitative information about sport Principals Through the related outcomes in a development Australian Sport Outreach context. Program

Under the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP), a collaboration between Suzie Schuster the Australian Agency for International National University of Samoa Development and the Australian Sports Commission, Samoa is one of The Fiafia Sport Program four countries that are being offered an in Primary Schools: Taking opportunity to receive support to initiate Steps Towards Developing a sport for development program that will have a long term impact. In the ASOP the Future Athletes of strategy, it is recognised that quality Samoa sport development has inherent value. The goal of the ASOP is to achieve Although sport exists in Samoa ‘increased capacity to deliver inclusive from village level to international sports based programs that contribute to representation, there continues to be social development’. If it can be shown an apparent lack of structured sport that quality sports programs increase development and physical movement individuals’ ability to organise, lead, programs for primary school-aged network, communicate, co-operate, children. A secondary school physical administer, evaluate, self determine, education curriculum was introduced become more active, inform each other into the government schools in 2006, and develop a sense of responsibility but a primary school physical education and fair play, then there is a strong program has yet to be fully developed page 16 b INTERNATIONAL SPORTS STUDIES CONFERENCE

and implemented. Until there becomes a full realization of a structured physical Clark Tuagalu education curriculum for primary schools, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Tauranga, New physical education, movement and sport Zealand will rely heavily on the discretion of individual principals. However, in the Fight or Flight? Confronting 1990s, an initial attempt to bring sport Obesity the Samoan Way! to schools was carried out through the Australian Sports Commission The World Health Organisation (ASC) under the Fiafia Sports Program. recently identified the Pacific Island Over ten years later, the Fiafia Sports nations as having the most overweight Program has been revived, re-written people in the world. In fact, Samoa and contextualized to meet the need for was ranked sixth in the world as the sport in primary schools. This paper will most overweight and obese nation. The explore the initial Fiafia Sports Program, immediate cause of obesity was attributed examine the contributing factors leading to the imbalance between the intake of to its demise, and explore how the new energy contained within food, and its Fiafia Sports Program idea re-emerged in expenditure in activity. Chronic diseases 2006 and why it aims to serve as the model related to obesity such as Type 2 diabetes, for movement and physical activity for affects over 52% of the population in primary schools in Samoa. Additionally, Samoa today. This study takes a snapshot this paper will outline the current research of the current situation in Samoa and the being done for the Ministry of Education, rate of physical activity of its population. Sport and Culture and the ASC, which Further, this paper explores the attitudes sets out to determine, through various and opinions, nature and extent of the methodologies, the overall efficacy of the physical activity habits of primarily young new Fiafia Sport Program and decidedly Samoans in urban settings. It will also the program’s fate when it comes time for examine the responsibility of the Ministry Samoa to introduce physical education of Health, Ministry of Education and into the primary school curriculum. Samoan Association of Sport National Olympic Committee in strengthening their management initiatives in preventing obesity, and will also consider opportunities to promote physical activity in places where people gather regularly such as schools, workplace, hospitals, prisons, churches and villages. Although physical activity itself accounts for only a small contribution in achieving energy balance, it does promote many other benefits. This justifies efforts to promote physical activity at all ages and is consistent with the findings from this report.