Kiribati has thrown down the gauntlet to their rivals after dominating the top division of the Fiji Open and signalling a major shake-up in Pacific badminton ahead of the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti.
Under the guidance of Japanese coach Hayate , the 10-player Kiribati contingent swept three of the five A-grade events, winning the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles at Suva’s Yat Sen School.
The strong showing from the tournament’s only international entry caught local organisers and players off guard, offering a sharp reality check for host nation Fiji as both teams map out their path to Tahiti.
Abel Caine, Badminton Fiji president, said missing out on all five A-grade titles was the reality check the hosts needed.
“This was a fantastic wake-up call for us. It’s been an excellent year for badminton Fiji. We took the secondary schools tournament,” he told PMN News.
“We grew by 50 per cent with secondary school numbers and organised the historic first ever primary school’s tournament where we had 260 players. It was Fiji’s biggest ever badminton event.
Players battle it out on court at Yat Sen School in Suva during the China Club Fiji Open 2026. Photo/Facebook/Badminton Fiji
“Now we’ve organised the Fiji Open where we have gotten a very good baseline check, a baseline assessment of where we are in the Pacific.”
The China Club Fiji Open 2026, held over the Fiji Day long weekend (10 October), marked a major step forward for the sport locally. After years of running restricted national events, Badminton Fiji opened its doors back up to international entries.
“The difference between an Open and a Nationals is that in a Nationals, only Nationals enter. But in an Open, anybody can enter, which is why the Kiribati Badminton Federation is invited,” Caine said, adding that while other Pacific nations were invited, “they couldn’t make it and only Kiribati managed to attend”.
Mizayaki, who has been in his role for 10 months, said the trip yielded invaluable game time for a team hungry for exposure.
“Taking part at the Fiji Opens is just the beginning for our journey for Tahiti next year. I think Fiji is also doing well in their preparation,” he told PMN News.
“Being part of the Fiji Opens competition is really a good experience for us because our players don’t have any experience of a shared competition.
“We are slowly growing and I really appreciate our players and continued support from our fans and supporters in Kiribati.”
The tournament drew 140 registered players – nearly triple the turnout of the 2025 Fiji Nationals – across A, B, and C grades, along with a revived masters and para category.
Fiji is expanding its domestic footprint from just one club to five across Suva, Nadi, and Lautoka with plans for a sixth
With a busy 2027 calendar on the horizon including the Pacific Challenge in New Zealand, the Pacific Games in Tahiti, and the Oceania Championships in Sydney, Fiji is planning a special gesture to return the favour to their neighbours.
“We are even trying to figure out a club tour to Kiribati as a form of a thank you to the people of Kiribati for coming to the Fiji Open,” Caine said.
“That will be a club tour, not a Fiji tour. We don’t have that much money at the Fiji level. But it’s perfect. It’s going well.”
Preparations across the region will ramp up further in April 2027 when players travel to New Zealand for the Pacific Challenge in North Harbour.
Elton Lonaratha Jnr, a journalism student at Wintec, is currently completing a six-week internship at PMN News.
