Taekwondo was added to the Pacific Games programme in 1995 at Papeete in Tahiti after the sport was added to the Olympic programme for Sydney 2000.

Medal events for women were added four years later at the 1999 Pacific Games in Guam.

At the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia four years ago, Fiji won a silver medal and four bronze.

At Port Moresby in 2015, they won three bronze medals and at Nouméa 2011 it was a silver and a bronze.

Fiji’s taekwondo team manager Nimesh Narayan revealed that they hope to take five male and three female athletes to Solomon Islands 2023, where taekwondo is due to start on November 28 and conclude on December 1.

"The process has been long, but we are confident in the athletes that we have chosen to represent the country, will make everyone proud," Narayan said.

"As a National Federation our expectation from our athletes is gold or silver."

Narayan admitted they will face tough competition.

"We have seen athletes from Tahiti and New Caledonia and their fitness levels are very impressive,” he said.

"We are upgrading our training programme in the hopes that it will give us an advantage, but we will also look at the welfare of our athletes because we don't want any injuries going into the Games."

Fiji’s main hopes rest with Australian-based Richard Lin, who competes in the under-68 kilograms category.

Australia, who made their Pacific Games debut at Port Moresby 2019, dominated the taekwondo competition by winning 15 of the 18 gold medals contested, with Tonga winning two and Samoa one.

Australia have not yet announced their team for Solomon Islands 2023.