A historic milestone has been achieved by the three-year-old Floorball Federation of Solomon Islands (FFSI) after the Men’s National Team, the Basiotos, registered the country’s first-ever international victory, defeating Hong Kong China 8–1 in their final Group F match of the Asia Oceania Floorball Federation (AOFC) World Floorball Championship Qualifiers in Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday.
Speaking to Star Sports, FFSI President and Basiotos player-coach Adam Olofsson said, he was extremely proud of his players, describing the win as a major achievement not only for the team but for the nation.
“It feels amazing to get our first-ever victory. Maybe this is the first time Solomon Islands has beaten Hong Kong China in any sport, I don’t know, but it means a lot for us and also for our international ranking,” Olofsson said.
“It meant a lot to win our first international game and to prove to fellow Solomon Islanders back home that we can win, even though the sport has only been in the country for three years.”
Despite trailing in the early stages of the first period, the Basiotos fought back strongly, with Nyrick Zuna leveling the scores in the dying seconds of the opening period.
Justin Mamani then gave the Basiotos the lead early in the second period, before Bernard Diudi extended the advantage to 3–1 heading into the third and final period.
The national side continued their dominance in the final period, adding five more goals to seal an emphatic and historic victory.
“We played very well and dominated our opponent. I’m also proud that we scored on every power play and had so much possession,” Olofsson said.
Olofsson also acknowledged the contribution of assistant coach Rainer Martiskin from Australia, praising his commitment and support both on and off the court.
“I acknowledge Rainer, he really helped us a lot. He came on board and voluntarily helped the team using his own money and also took on the role of team manager. We would not have achieved what we did without his help,” he said.
The Swedish-born Olofsson, who introduced floorball to the Solomon Islands in the early 2020s and helped establish FFSI in 2022, was given clearance by the International Floorball Federation (IFF) last month to represent Solomon Islands.
“We learned a lot from the competition, and the experience we gained is invaluable. You can’t improve if you don’t compete against other nations and you have to start somewhere.
“Floorball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, so it’s amazing that the Solomon Islands has embraced the sport ahead of many neighbouring Pacific countries,” he added.
The team is expected to arrive back in Honiara on Wednesday this week.
By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR
Solomon Star, Honiara
