Following the much-discussed switch of Solomon Islands long-distance runner Sharon Firisua from her marathon event to the Women’s 100m Sprint at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI) President Martin Rara has provided clarity and addressed concerns surrounding the decision.
Rara emphasised that the change was driven by procedural necessities and not by arbitrary decisions.
“Sharon was not hand-picked; there is a process in place,” Rara explained.
According to Rara, the Solomon Islands Athletics Federation initially nominated Sharon Firisua and Steven Rahausi without specifying their events, leading to their names only being entered into the system in April.
He said that after the Oceania Athletics Championships held in Suva, Fiji, another submission for athletes Jovita Aruina Ambrose and Luke Haga was made, but it was beyond the entry dates for Paris 2024.
“The Athletics Federation of Solomon Islands then came back to NOCSI and reached out to Oceania Athletics Association, but the response was to bring it up with the Paris 2024 Games Organizing Committee,” he said.
NOCSI sought further advice from World Athletics, which confirmed that the only athlete eligible to compete was Sharon Firisua due to her active status in the database without a tagged event.
“The only person active in the database to compete in Paris was Sharon because she did not have an event tagged to her name and therefore can compete in the 100 meters event,” Rara stated.
This decision was essential to retain the Solomon Islands’ universality slot for the Olympic Games LA 2028.
Rara explained, “Going to the Olympics even on a wildcard, there is a process; the only reason why Sharon ran the 100m is because there was no one else in the system.
“If there was anybody else entered into the system, we would have gone with another option, a middle-distance runner or sprinter.
“There was no option as only Sharon Firisua was the only active athlete name in the system,” he said.
Despite facing criticism, Sharon Firisua competed in the Women’s 100m Preliminary Round, clocking a time of 14.31 seconds at the Stade de France.
Rara clarified that the situation arose due to an administrative issue with late entries and was not due to any oversight or preference.
“There was an administrative issue of late entries that has resulted in this situation,” Rara reiterated.
He assured that all procedures were followed appropriately, and the decision was made in the best interest of the Solomon Islands’ representation at the Olympic Games.
