Youngsters ready for historic debut at AIMS Games
Abigail Corrie and Arohan Gogoi will make history next month as the first badminton players from Fiji to compete at the Zespri AIMS Games in Aotearoa.
The 22nd edition of the games is set to be the biggest yet, with 14,506 athletes aged 11 to 13 from 467 schools competing across 27 sporting codes.
Corrie, an 11-year-old from St Anne’s School in Suva, and Gogoi, also 11, from Drasa Avenue School in Lautoka, will represent Fiji in Badminton singles.
Arohan Hazarika Gogoi (middle) with his mum Mercy Hazarika Gogoi and Badminton Fiji President Abel Caine at Drasa Avenue Primary School in Lautoka-Photo Reinal Chand via Fiji Times
Although both players are still in the early stages of their badminton journeys, their selection marks a major step forward for the sport’s growing community in Fiji.
Corrie has been playing badminton for about a year and a half and also enjoys swimming and football.
She lives outside Suva with her father, Caleb Corrie, and grandmother, Frances Corrie, who is her biggest supporter and funding the trip to New Zealand.
Each morning, Corrie and her grandmother talk about the adventure ahead.
“She tells me every day when I wake up how excited she is for me,” Corrie said.
Her grandmother has encouraged her to stay disciplined during her preparation, including giving up sweets.
Corrie has embraced the challenge, training three times a week with her coach and four times a week at home on her own.
Without access to gym weights, she builds strength by running back and forth on her porch while carrying water bottles.
Eleven-year-old Abigail Corrie from St Anne’s School in Suva will make history next month as one of the first badminton players from Fiji to compete at the Zespri AIMS Games in Aotearoa-Photo supplied
She also hits the shuttlecock against a wall and practises lunges to improve her movement around the court.
“It will be really tough, I think,” Corrie said.
She has friends in Fiji’s netball contingent and is looking forward to sharing the Games experience with them.
She will be accompanied by her father and is looking forward to meeting Gogoi’s family for the first time.
President of Badminton Fiji, Abel Caine said selection was an encouraging breakthrough for young players in Fiji.
“When the parents first approached me, I reminded them that travelling to New Zealand would be a big commitment, especially with limited preparation time,” Caine said.
“But their belief in their children’s dreams has been outstanding.”
“As soon as the kids found out they were going, everything changed. They have shown real commitment and that is really cool.”
Both families are privately funding their children’s participation in the AIMS Games.
“They will be historic pioneers, and we hope this will be remembered as the first step in long and enjoyable playing careers,” Caine said.
The pair began intensive training in May and will travel to Tauranga as determined underdogs, boosted by the momentum of Badminton Fiji’s inaugural Primary Schools Tournament, scheduled from Monday 31 August to Wednesday 2 September.
The Zespri AIMS Games began extending international invitations to Pacific schools in 2016. Fiji will make its fifth appearance at the Games this year, after first taking part in 2019.
In previous years, Fiji’s school teams have generally competed in rugby and netball. This year, the country’s first badminton representatives will add an exciting new chapter to Fiji’s growing AIMS Games story.
The Zespri AIMS Games 2026 will be held from AIMS will be held from 5 to 11 September in Tauranga Moana, New Zealand.
