Confusing logos: Wagner

Local Sports

Fijian footballer Roy KrishnaA former Victoria rugger and diehard Fiji rugby fan finds the logos of two of Fiji's biggest sporting organizations very confusing.

Colin Wagner said the Fiji Rugby Union and the Fiji Football Association logos seem out of place from the inception years of the respective organizations.

“I stumbled over the football logo in a local newspaper while on holidays in Fiji last month and curiosity seek got the better of me”, said Wagner, who played for the Oak Bay rugby team from 2000-2004.

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia search, he says revealed the FRU was founded in 1913 while the FFA was founded in 1938, a good 25 years later.

“Rugby started in the country before football”, said Wagner.

“Tabua, (whales’ tooth) you’d think fits the i-Taukei culture for its importance and it is revered.

“Ideally it would’ve held more value for rugby, the national sport not for football, not that i-Taukei players don’t play football and or represent the nation but rugby being more dominant and predominantly i-Taukei sport”.

Wagner said the early rugby administration went with the coconut palm and it’s completely fine by him.

But he says it’s the afterthought that had him run the findings with i-Taukei’s over a Kava (national drink) session, and they were just as intrigued.

“The revelation didn’t sit well with the group, I can tell you that much”, Wagner said.

“Rugby has put Fiji high in the realms of sporting world, a sport that has given every Fijian a sporting identity.

“Coconut palm as FRU logo is not per say not Fijian, it is but Tabua holds more significance. It’s just my opinion”.

The Canadian says he is not fermenting hate or jealousy but feels the need to express his views, one he finds it as fascinating.

“Now that it’s been highlighted, it sure will have people talking.

“Without malice we need to sometimes ask ourselves the unexplained, only to seek knowledge”.

Wagner says trading logos wouldn’t be an option for either organizations who are quite content with the ownership.