An event that’s been in the makings since August finally made it’s debut. Since the new semester schedule caused a hiccup in the normal semester activities, BYUHSA members decided to host an Olympics Jan. 26-30.
Nathan McKinney, BYU–Hawaii Student Events Supervisor from California studying hospitality and tourism management, said, “I became aware of Culture Night change of date from Winter 2015-16 to Spring 2016. I thought along with my new teammates, and we came up with the Olympics.”
McKinney said the Olympic games coming up in 2016 inspired the event. BYUH with its impressive diversity and spirited cultural clubs, made the Olympics the perfect choice.The teams competed in touch rugby, soccer, track relays, tennis, ping pong, badminton, swimming, volleyball and men's and women’s basketball. Although no overall winner was celebrated, New Zealand won the most events with track, swimming and women’s basketball under its belt.
Three of the most anticipated sports were basketball, rugby and volleyball.
Competition was heated for the men’s basketball championship between Samoa and New Zealand. Samoa led throughout the game, with New Zealand catching up toward the end. With a final score of 23 to 18, Ratu Levy, a freshman studying business management from Samoa, said the game came down to the physical aspects of the matchup.
“We were blessed with more height and lot of good shooting. Our shooters made their shots and we rebounded well and defended well,” Levy said. The volleyball tournament came down to Japan and Fiji.
McKinney served his mission to Japan and competed with the other members of the Japan team, scoring multiple points with his outside hit. McKinney said it was nice to even the physical playing field with a non- contact sport between Japan and Fiji.
Players from the Pacific Islands, McKinney said, “are known for having a much bigger physique.”
Japan won a close match. McKinney attributed their success to “playing smart and not wasting chances to score a point. I think that’s what allowed us to secure our victory and still have fun.”
Although Japan overpowered Fiji in volleyball, Fiji’s speed and follow through were unmatched on the Rugby and soccer fields, scoring them the second most wins. The Rugby tournament was between Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand.
Teresa Tuiala, the Samoan Student Association president said, “Everyone from the Pacific plays rugby, especially the guys.” The heated rivalry was won by Fiji, whose fast-paced game and success of running the ball paid off in a 6-1 victory.
Sport - Winner
Touch Rugby - Fiji
Soccer - Fiji
4x100 Relay - New Zealand
4X400 Relay - New Zealand
Tennis - South Korea
Ping Pong - Mongolia
Badminton - Singapore/Malaysia
Swimming Relay - New Zealand
Volleyball - Japan
Women’s Basketball - New Zealand
Men’s Basketball - Samoa