As per the press release sent earlier today, the Pacific Games Council (PGC) Executive Board met on 26 May to address the Tongan Government’s letter of withdrawal from hosting the 2019 Pacific Games. During the course of meeting, the Executive Board was addressed by Lord Vaea, acting President of TASANOC, and Lord Sevele, the Chairman of the Tonga 2019 Pacific Games Organising Committee.
The Pacific Games Executive Board resolved to make one last attempt to keep the 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga. It is to be noted that in 2012, the PGC membership voted emphatically for Tonga to host these Games and the Executive Board expressed confidence that Tonga can successfully deliver the event should the Government resume its support.
The Board will keep the door open to the Tongan Government for a final short period to address its financial concerns with the PGC in a spirit of cooperation, the press release further expressed.
The PGC has previously written to the Prime Minister with this offer but will now ask TASANOC to facilitate an appointment for PGC representatives to meet with him and the Cabinet in early June to begin a process of fully reviewing the Games’ cost structures.
Meanwhile, the Board will advise its members that it has put contingency plans in place for the process of selecting an alternative host nation quickly in the event that matters with the Tongan Government are not fully resolved by 30 June.
Earlier, in July 2016, it was informed to SportsCrunch in an interview featuring Mr. Andrew Minogue, the Executive Director of the Pacific Games Council, that the member countries of the council differ enormously in capacity. While the 2015 Games hosts, PNG have a population of 8 million. Niue Norfolk Island and Tokelau have about 1,000. Traditionally only 6 of the 22 member countries have had the capacity to host the Pacific Games: PNG, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Samoa, Guam and Fiji.
Tonga and Solomon Islands were supposed to be joining that elite group of countries which have been the hosts to the Pacific Games, in 2019 and 2023 respectively.
Pacific Games Council or South Pacific Games first came into existence in 1959, perhaps and since then this initiative by some of the members of the South Pacific Commission has gone on with the vision to create bonds of kindred friendship and brotherhood amongst people of the countries of the Pacific region through sporting exchange without any distinctions as to race, religion or politics.