A TV show celebrating athletes of Pacific Island heritage achievements in sports around the world, was launched on ABC Australia and ABC iview last week.

That Pacific Sports Show, is a 30-minute, 15-episode series, hosted by sevens rugby union and rugby league player Tiana Penitani, who is of Tongan heritage, and former Kiwi international Dene Halatau, with Tongan-Australian former Wallaby Tatafu Polota-Nau and Fijian-Australian Olympic gold medallist Ellia Green, as regular guests.

In Australia, NRL.com reports Pacific Island athletes dominate sports such as rugby league and rugby union.

In 2019, the NRL recorded 45% of players with a Pasifika background.

Tiana said, “I've always had that at the back of my mind, that there is a bit of a lack of attention solely towards Pacific Islanders.

"When you look at the stats of players involved in the NRL, that's massive, and even in the women's game the majority of players are of a Pacific Island or indigenous background.”

Over the next 12 months, Tiana hopes to work with other athletes across various sports.

"I love the whole initiative behind it, it's all for a good cause and is a really positive show."

"A common saying in Pacific Islander culture is there are five Fs – fun, faith, family, food and footy,” she said.

"So, there will be a lot of footy chat but we'll also cover all sorts of sports whether it be weightlifting, rowing or swimming – wherever we can find some stories.”

“It's about getting an insight into these athletes' lives with their background stories,” she added.