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This chapter presents the first sociological study of outrigger canoe racing, or va'a, in Fiji, a sport deeply embedded in Pacific seafaring heritage. It begins with a brief history of va'a in Fiji, which emerged in the 1980s as part of a postcolonial ‘revival’ of indigenous cultural practices. The chapter subsequently examines the paddling community's notable inclusivity (in terms of gender, ethnicity, age and body shape), persisting exclusivity (in terms of class and geographical location) and dynamic engagement with the sport's cultural anchoring. A key contention of this chapter is that va'a, in its ongoing social construction, has become simultaneously a competitive sport with modern equipment and structures, a hip and cool recreational activity and a cohesive community with shared commitment to the relational value of the ocean, notwithstanding long-standing power differentials. The sport is hence positioned as integral to living, evolving culture rather than timeless indigeneity.

Rugby in Fiji and Fijian sport labour migration have recently received growing academic attention. To date, research has focused on the trajectories of transnational Fijian athletes and their contributions to the global sport economy, considering the institutional undercurrents of professional rugby. Exploring the ways rugby contributes to diasporic Fiji Islander sociality more generally, this chapter expands on existing scholarship on Fijian rugby and Fiji Islander migration. For this purpose, this chapter draws on insights gathered at an international rugby sevens tournament in Tokyo and connects this social episode to other ethnographic findings from fieldwork in Japan and the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2016. This chapter evaluates the relevance of rugby in Fiji's diaspora beyond a narrow connotation to act as a collective marker of ‘belonging’ for transborder migrants from Fiji. Consequently, it explores the ways rugby and various markers of social distinction such as ethnicity, postcolonial identity or gender intersect. The discussion highlights rugby as a useful lens through which the dynamic ways Fiji Islanders relate to each other can be captured.

In 2023, two international football (soccer) tournaments amplified attention on the women's game in Oceania. Football organisations are efficient at measuring participation of these events, of their training programmes, and related activities. However, their evaluation of the impacts within or on local football communities remains relatively rare, particularly for those marginalised through gender. Women and girls commonly engage in football for more complex reasons than those underpinning the participation of men and boys. Football organisations in the Pacific Islands tend to treat women's football communities differently to those around men and boys. Yet often the same conventional processes of appraisal are applied. This chapter offers critical reflection on evaluation processes of a new initiative, This is How We Football, aimed at participation of young women and girls in safe environments. The initiative is deployed by regional governing body, Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). In its efforts to address a wider range of gender norms and related issues identified within local communities, the programme includes the use of Indigenous/local epistemologies and oratory practices alongside conventional measures. This chapter considers the incorporation of place-based approaches to evaluation and the challenges and opportunities the process presents for OFC. In doing so, it contributes to wider understanding of engagement with local football communities in parts of Oceania.

The Pacific Island nation of Fiji, spanning 100s of islands, has been characterised by both geographical and ethnic divisions between, mainly, Indigenous Fijians and Fijians of Indian descent. The latter took shape in quite blatant forms in the island nation's historical tendency towards ethnic politics but has also been enacted across its sporting traditions. Today, while ethnic politics still exists to a degree, encouraged by ethnopolitical entrepreneurs, the reality is more nuanced. Divisions remain not only along the popularised lines of ethnicity but also across hierarchical, class and gender boundaries that have received somewhat less scholarly attention. This nuance is visible in the performance and packaging of Fijian sport and through the meanings that local people attach to it. This chapter, therefore, draws upon the experience of ethnographic fieldwork within and across Fijian subcultures with a focus on rugby and soccer. Inclusive of participant observation and interviews with diverse Fijian sporting stakeholders from differing intersections of local sport and society, the key threads above will be untangled to reveal a more three-dimensional and collective impression of contemporary Fiji.

In Fiji, Indo-Fijians constitute the second largest community after Indigenous Fijians. Indo-Fijian women face gender and racial inequalities to access sports and Physical Education (PE) in Fijian high schools. To gain a comprehensive view of the sporting realities of these young women, an ethnographic study was carried out with 12 young Indo-Fijian women via participant observations and semi-structured interviews, which were driven by sporting experience-related photographs taken by the participants and participant-voiced free verses. This chapter extracts four young women's experiences from the larger set of data and weaves a one-act play to holistically present their lived sporting experiences. This non-fiction creative piece captures the young women's colloquial words and artistic writings, thus creating a space where the reader can hear their voices and feel their sporting experiences too. We employ intersectional lenses together with Critical Race Theory (CRT) to look at the social factors that influence their sporting lives. The findings reveal that factors such as traditional gender norms, racism, age, classism and internal migration from rural co-ed to urban co-ed schools intersect at various levels to determine the segregation of Indo-Fijian girls from ‘mixed racial’ (team) sports. Moreover, in high school PE lessons, iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) interests are maintained in sports where PE lessons are focused on dominant sports (rugby, soccer and netball) with emphasis on competition rather than inclusive participation for all. Therefore, this paper supports the opening of pathways for Indo-Fijian girls and women to participate in sports so that they can exercise their rights as Fijian citizens.

Despite a surge of writing on sport in the islands of the Pacific, contemporary scholarship has remained tightly focused on those sports (men) most visible on the global stage today. Other games and sports, other players and other times have yet to receive the same attention. This chapter represents an initial effort to redress some of these omissions by exploring the past and present of cricket in the region. While cricket was the first successful ludic import to the Pacific, the game owes its significance there to more than mere longevity. Introduced by British ‘agents of empire’ in the long 19th century, cricket was – in the hands of Islanders – transformed into distinctive local forms such as Trobriand cricket and Samoan kirikiti. Explaining and theorising these changes to the game's method and meaning, I argue, provides a framework for understanding other indigenous and indigenised sporting practices in the region and beyond. A focus on cricket also enables us to interrogate sport's significance in the daily lives of not only elite male athletes but also a more diverse cast of Islanders – most notably women and girls. In these and other ways, the example of cricket demonstrates the value of looking back to historicise sport's significance and beyond the ‘usual sporting suspects’. By looking back and beyond, we can move towards a broader and deeper perspective of sporting cultures in the region.

The authors of this chapter emphasise the importance of addressing the well-being of Pacific Island rugby players. Indeed, the need to consider players' physical and mental well-being, cultural identity, spirituality and socio-economic challenges is underscored. The personal background and lived experiences of the first author, who identifies as Pasifika and has a wealth of experience as a professional rugby player, as the captain of Fiji at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and founder of Pacific Rugby Players, add a unique perspective to the discussion. The authors advocate for a deeper understanding of what constitutes holistic well-being from a Pacific perspective. They suggest the need to embrace cultural awareness and incorporate cultural practices within rugby team environments to foster inclusivity and enhance players' well-being. The authors reveal the challenges of balancing cultural expectations and the demands of professional rugby within multicultural contexts. Further, the authors acknowledge the stress, anxiety and mental health challenges that can arise from the pressure to succeed in the sport and the role of being the primary breadwinner for their family and communities. The aim of this chapter is twofold. First, to introduce well-being models currently discussed within the literature, specifically Pacific and Māori conceptions of well-being. Second, to provide recommendations as to how coaches and administrators could apply the well-being models with the aim of enhancing the well-being of professional rugby players who identify as Pasifika, specifically their spiritual well-being.