The Zespri AIMS Games is just days away, and this year Australasia’s largest junior sporting event will welcome a new nation to its badminton draw, with Fiji sending two young athletes to compete in Tauranga for the first time. They will line up alongside players from the Cook Islands and hosts New Zealand in this year’s badminton competition.
The tournament runs from 5–11 September 2026, and among the new arrivals is 11-year-old Arohan Gogoi, for whom the trip will be his first time travelling to New Zealand.
“I like to run, hit the shuttle,” said Arohan. “I’m excited to represent my school and meet other people from my age group and learn from them.”
A family affair
Arohan’s badminton journey began close to home. His mother, Mercy, said the family started playing casually on their lawn a few years ago, and it quickly became a weekly ritual—evenings after work and long weekend sessions that the whole family looked forward to.
“That’s how it grew,” Mercy said. “Why not go a bit deeper and let our son know and learn more. It’s not about winning, it’s more about players and learning from them.”
That enthusiasm eventually led the family to seek out proper coaching. They found a coach in Nadi, and despite the hour-long drive from Lautoka, committed to weekly Saturday sessions: training in the morning, then spending the rest of the day at the courts as a family.
Building the game in Lautoka
Mercy’s involvement in the sport extends beyond the family court, she also sits on the committee of Lautoka Badminton, a newly formed club working to establish itself in Fiji’s Western Division. The club is still in its early stages and lacks the space needed for serious training, but Mercy said interest is growing fast, particularly among secondary school students turning up for social sessions.
“This is just the beginning,” she said. “I am so sure that with the love of this game… we will be able to have funds; we will be able to organise the space. Really good things are coming up in the future.”
With a background in mental health and a role as a lecturer, Mercy also spoke about the wider value of sport for young Fijians as an outlet for stress, a support for physical fitness, and a positive alternative for young people at a time when drugs and crime are increasingly common among the younger generation. She said badminton in particular appeals to her because, unlike many sports, it can be played year-round.
A pathway shaped by experience
Lautoka Badminton Club’s interim president is Sonali Kumar, whose own playing background gives her a valuable perspective on developing the next generation. Sonali previously represented Fiji’s national junior team at the Oceania Junior Championships and has been playing since she picked up the sport in high school at age 14.
“It’s just the love for the sport,” Sonali said. “Everywhere I go, I want to play, I want to get into the tournament. So, it’s the fact that I can share that emotion with the younger generation, which is a pretty overwhelming thing for me.”
She also pointed to badminton’s appeal as a low-contact, accessible sport for kids who want to enjoy competition without the physicality of some other codes, something she said keeps the club’s junior sessions fun as well as competitive.
With Arohan, alongside Suva’s Abigail Corrie, preparing to make history as Fiji’s first badminton representatives at the Zespri AIMS Games, the Lautoka club’s grassroots growth is already showing signs of success, as the momentum continues building for the sport in Fiji’s Western Division.
