Fiji is very, very, very excited right now.
The nation just won its first Olympic medal, in men's rugby sevens, and it was a gold. Fijians are so thrilled, in fact, that Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama actually declared August 22 a national holiday so people can celebrate rather than going to work.
"Everything stops back home," Bainimarama said. "Our productivity has been nil for the last couple of days, but hopefully the GDP will go up in the next couple of days."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In other responses in the rugby-obsessed nation: phone carriers offered free calls; Fiji Airways, the national carrier, announced the only beer it will serve on Friday will be Fiji Gold, a popular local beverage [...] Some fans said Ben Ryan, the team’s London-born coach, and his family should be given citizenship. [The Telegraph]
"The achievement will be part of our history back home," sevens player Osea Kolinisau explained.
Someone really ought to petition President Obama to let us celebrate Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, or Michael Phelps' golds with a day off, too, don't you think?
-
The 9 restaurants to eat at this very momentThe Week Recommends They’re award-winning. Isn’t that reason enough?
-
The UK’s opioid crisis: why the stats don’t add upThe Explainer A new report has revealed that the UK’s total of opioid-related deaths could be much greater than official figures show
-
Gaza genocide: will UN ruling change anything?Today's Big Question Commission of Inquiry’s findings ‘give unprecedented weight’ to genocide claims
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
