Flying Fijians Strength and Conditioning coach Naca Cawanibuka.

The Fiji Water Flying Fijians are participating in a cardio challenge to stay fit for the Rugby World Cup and raise funds for children with cancer.

Initiated by the players themselves along with Strength and Conditioning Coach Naca Cawanibuka, the Flying Fijians have partnered with WOWS Kids to create awareness of the work they do in Fiji and help raise funds for the children under the program.

Officially announcing the partnership via Zoom at Rugby House today, Cawanibuka says this is also part of their aim to reconnect with people.

“We like to connect with kids back home. We look at these kids just like they’re ours, they’re very special, and they battle a battle that is much harder than playing rugby. It’s a big drive, it is new to us and we still have a lot to learn from the program but we hope we can make a difference to these kids.”

Head coach Simon Raiwalui says they’re standing by their quest of reaching out and connecting to their roots, which means providing a little inspiration to children who are fighting a battle that’s bigger than rugby.

“It’s not just an exercise, we want to connect, visit these kids in hospitals, we want to engage with them and provide a little bit of inspiration to fight. We want to assist the parents in terms of additional funding, that’s the goal.”

An emotional Sina Kami, the chair and co-founder of WOWS Kids, says when she received the news on Friday, she was humbled and grateful for the team’s thoughtful move.

The cardio challenge started on Monday, with staff and players asked to accumulate a total of 30 kilometres throughout the week.

Cawanibuka says the accumulated distance for all staff and players should total the distance travelled from London to their base in Bordeaux, France.

The Flying Fijians will document their daily progress through videos and photos, which will be posted on social media platforms.

The Fiji Water Foundation has also pledged its support, stating that it will match every donation up to $50,000, which means every dollar will be doubled.

The cardio challenge is also an opportunity for the team to recharge and refresh before facing Wales in their first pool match on September 11th.

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