FIJI was among the four countries that received a $US20,000 ($F38,662) grant for winning the 2010 Pacific Youth Sports Conference in New Zealand (PYASC) over the weekend.

Filipe Bole, who is head of the sports portfolio, was present to receive the award with Fiji Youth delegate and Sports Ambassador Rosa Dalituicama and Mere Ratukonadi.

Fiji's winning proposal titled "Red Card! Our Fight against HIV/AIDS" was the top-ranked amongst the 17 countries that were present at the PYASC.

Dalituicama highlighted the need to integrate sports into promotional awareness campaigns in trying to bring about behavioural change to people living with HIV and Aids in the country.

The conference was organised by the Oceania Football Confederation with assistance from organisations such as the Australian Sports Commission, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, New Zealand Aids Foundation and many others.

Stop HIV/Aids Program manager Joanna Ferris said this was a great achievement which could encourage the involvement of football in the program.

"It is a great achievement. The Fiji proposal is to upscale the Sports Training and Outreach Program on HIV (STOP HIV) to include football. The success from New Zealand will enable the program to include football STOP HIV Champions, target football events as an opportunity raise awareness on HIV and train football coaches and or development officers as STOP HIV Community Coaches," she said.

Ferris thanked the Fiji delegation for considering STOP HIV a program worth up scaling and also to the STOP HIV Champions from Fiji who represented the program at the Youth and Sport Conference.

Source: Fiji Times Online, 23 March 2010