International Rugby
IRB to restore Fiji funding
ESPN Staff
May 7, 2014
IRB chief executive and Rugby World Cup Limited managing director Brett Gosper, Rugby World Cup 2015 Venues Press Conference, Twickenham, May 2, 2013
Good news for Fiji from Brett Gosper © Getty Images
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IRB boss Brett Gosper has announced that Fiji's funding will soon be resumed after it was suspended in January because of serious concerns over the Fijian board's governance and financial control.

Fiji, however, will still not participate in the Commonwealth Games Sevens tournament. The country was suspended from the Commonwealth following a military coup in 206 and although they are now reinstated, that came too late for them to be allowed to play in Glasgow.

"We did suspend funding for Fiji, but there have been meetings recently and that suspension will soon be lifted," Gosper said. "They've taken significant strides towards putting their house in order and their finances are in much better shape, not least because they've just agreed a big sponsorship deal.

"It's not as if we've taken money away from them; it was frozen, and it was always our intention to release the funds once the necessary improvements were made."

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