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For over five decades, the annual Far East and South Pacific Airlines (FESPA) basketball tournament has seen airline staff from around the world swap the runway for the court, bonding over a shared love of sport, camaraderie and community.
What began the 1970s as a friendly inter-airline competition has grown into a week-long international event attended by hundreds of players and spectators. Qudos Bank was proud to sponsor the 2025 tournament, hosted by Qantas in Wollongong during the last week of October, to make sure the FESPA spirit continues to fly high.
The sponsorship helped make the tournament all the more accessible to the passionate teams that travel far and wide to compete. “It’s still just a volunteer-run tournament,” says Daniel, a Qantas long-haul flight attendant who was instrumental in organising this year’s event. “But this year, we’ve had some incredible sponsorship and support from Qudos Bank, which has helped out tremendously. When costs are lower, it encourages more teams and more people to come. This was the biggest overall tournament we’ve had in years.”
The FESPA tournament is open to all airline staff and their immediate family members. But it’s more than just a series of basketball games – it’s a global yearly reunion of competitors, colleagues and friends. Over the years, it has welcomed men’s and women’s teams from airlines like Japan Airlines, Alitalia, SAS, Lufthansa, ANA and Thai Airways. Each year, the host cities rotate. Previous tournament locations span the globe, from Osaka to Queenstown and Chiang Mai to Hamburg.
“It’s very much an international gathering,” Daniel says. “About 250 or so people travel around, catch up in a different country, and play some good basketball, too!”
This year’s tournament followed its traditional week-long format, kicking off with an Opening Ceremony on Monday morning where the Qantas hosts welcomed their international and national guests. Barry Jackson, a Non-Executive Director of Qudos Bank and Qantas Captain, was the guest speaker, and set an inspiring tone for the week ahead. From there, teams hit the court for preliminary games on Monday and Tuesday, semi-finals on Thursday and the grand finals on Friday. There were even kids’ games for the next generation of basketballers.
The Qantas Sydney men’s team, who last took the win in 2023, went undefeated throughout the tournament and started the grand final strong with an early lead. But Daniel says they were no match for their “very tall, very talented” opponents from Air New Zealand, who took home the trophy on the day. The Qantas Sydney Women’s team finished fourth on the ladder after a hard-fought bronze medal play-off against Qantas Melbourne.
Off the court, participants enjoyed three cornerstone social events: a casual welcome night, a fun mid-week party, and a formal awards dinner to close out the week (held on October 31, with everyone dressed in their Halloween finest). And that’s not counting all of the continual socialising that took place courtside, around town and at the group’s accommodation.
Having grown up in Wollongong, Daniel played a key part in organising this year’s event, working alongside a small team of dedicated volunteers to arrange venues, accommodation and social events. “As a local, I did help take the reins,” he says.
The immense amount of work that went into the week was fuelled by Daniel’s love for the game. “I’ve been playing since I was six, all through school and senior rep leagues,” he says. “But once I started flying, shift work made it hard to commit to regular competitions. FESPA became my yearly commitment, and it’s something I look forward to and train for. It motivates me to get back in the stadium, get those extra shots up, and do that extra kilometre on the treadmill. It’s a real outlet for me.”
Daniel describes the competition as friendly and fierce. Rivalries form, then fade just as quickly. “It’s really competitive,” Daniel says. “But as soon as the game’s over and everyone cools down, you go back and have a drink together. That’s what I love most about it – there’s no hard feelings at the end of the day.”
And while new faces always show up, so do plenty of familiar ones. “There’s guys that played back in the 70s and 80s who still turn up, even though their playing days are behind them,” Daniel says. “They come and socialise and get involved.”
As the 2025 tournament wraps and planning begins for the 2026 event in Tahiti, hosted by Air Tahiti Nui, Daniel says it’s the spirit of community that really shines through and brings him back time and time again. “I’ve made a lot of good friends through FESPA,” he says. “I look forward to seeing them each year.” A thank you to Qudos Bank from Daniel and the event.
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November, 2025
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