Firisua competed in the 100 metres sprint at the Paris Olympics. Photo: NOCSI
The National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI) says it had followed all procedures in regard to athlete Sharon Firisua competing at the Paris Olympics.
Locals in Honiara had questioned the selection, especially since Firisua is a natural marathon runner and not a sprinter, as she was entered for the 100 metres sprints.
Champion sprinter Jovita Arunia was not considered, although she was the top candidate for the slot given to the Solomons.
Solomon Islands Athletics Federation (SIAF) president Michael Kuali told ABC they were told to nominate a sprinter for the 100m by the Oceania Athletics Association.
"They said [the 100m] is the only space [at Paris] that remains for Solomon Islands," he said.
SIAF nominated two ranked sprinters; both male and female. But the final decision was made NOCSI, he told ABC.
"What unfolded after came as a shock," he said.
"The decision was for Sharon Firisua to represent the country in the 100m sprint instead.
"And that's all we know about the selection. We've never been consulted for the selection process; they are the ones responsible for submitting athletes for the Olympics.
"But we've never been invited or...consulted."
Firisua, right, clocked a time of 14.31 seconds in the women's preliminary round at the Stade de France. Photo: ONOC Communications / Casey Sims
Female sprinter Jovita Arunia said it was a tough pill to swallow.
"We're the [actual] sprinters...I don't know what went wrong, it's unbelievable," she told ABC.
She had competed internationally and was hoping to be in Paris.
With what has transpired, she is now contemplating quitting altogether.
"I will not compete anymore because of what they did," she said.
"We need new leaders who can help us young athletes, and also coaches to know what the demand is, and the struggles we go through."
But NOCSI president Martin Rara said from Paris the decision to select marathon runner Firisua to compete in the women's 100m was done transparently.
Rara told the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) that the change was driven by procedural necessities and not by arbitrary decisions.
"Sharon [Firisua] was not hand-picked; there is a process in place," Rara explained.
He said, the SIAF initially nominated Firisua and Steven Rahausi without specifying their events, leading to their names only being entered into the system in April.
He said after the Oceania Athletics Championships held in Suva, another submission for athletes Aruina 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 Organising Committee," he said.
NOCSI sought further advice from World Athletics, which confirmed that the only athlete eligible to compete was 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 [Firisua] because she did not have an event tagged to her name and therefore can compete in the 100m event," Rara stated.
He said this decision was essential to retain the Solomon Islands' universality slot for the Olympic Games LA 2028.
"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," he said.
"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."
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," he said.
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.
