A number of the worlds top judoka have descended on Woolongong for the Oceania Judo Open, which takes place over the next two days, but Pacific nations have largely stayed away.
Vital ranking points are on offer for those bidding to make the Rio Olympics next year.
The Competition manager for the Open Luis Val says close to 50 countries will be in attendance, but just five Pacific athletes are attending: two from Fiji and one each from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and French Polynesia.
"I would suspect a lot of the Pacific nations would be trying to peak for the next Olympic qualifying event, which is going to be in Canberra in April. That's a closed event to the Oceania region and that's the great opportunity for some of the smaller, less traditional countries where they might be able to get those points through that event. It appears that they're looking at other events and this one may be a little bit too tough so they're just picking and choosing which events they should be going to to maximise their chances to get on the Olympic squad for their teams".
Luis Val says there are wildcard spots allocated to smaller nations which could help boost the Pacific Islands presence in Rio next year.
Close to 50 countries from around the world are competing in the Oceania Judo Open in Woolongong. Photo: Facebook / Oceania Judo Open
