Those who have been following us for a while know that we at Banknote World are quite fond of Fijian banknotes. In addition, the Reserve Bank of Fiji has quite the eye for designing beautiful and captivating banknotes. Well at the end of March 2022 the Reserve Bank of Fiji announced the release of a new Fiji 7 Dollar banknote. This banknote commemorates the Rugby 7’s taking home golden and bronze medals at the Summer Olympics 2020 held in Tokyo, Japan. With the success of the 7 Dollars from 2016 from the Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil its no sursprise that the Reserve Bank would like to capitalize off the success of that note and press which that note brought Fiji. The blue 7 Dollar note was even in the running for IBNS best banknote of the year for 2017 unfortunately it lost to the Switzerland 10 Francs.
The new banknote is colored in a bright yellow/brown color combination that is very captivating to the eye. The color combination is representative mix of the gold and bronze medals that the Fijian Olympic team won. On the front and back you can see small circle with the words Gold and Bronze to symbolize the medals they won. As many know 2020 was the year of COVID-19 pandemic. So this banknote includes a special varnish which is supposed to prevent the spreading of viruses, bacteria and funguses. The obverse design of the 7 Dollar banknote shows a colored image of the Rugby 7s Olympic team huddling together with their hands up and a rugby ball at the very center. The watermark shows Reapi Uluinisau, a member of the Rugby 7s team, running with a ball in her arms. In the background you can see traditional Fijian tribal pattern which can also be found on other Fijian banknotes.
The reverse side also shows a colored image of the Rugby 7s team signing in joy after receiving their medals. On the right hand side you can also see an image of coach Gareth Babe with his hands crossed and in an analytical position. This new banknote also comes with commemorative folders as well as uncut sheets and they even sell specimen banknotes.