​Fiji Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) have expressed their disappointment after boycotting athletes did not attend a meeting aimed at resolving their dispute with Fiji Weightlifting.

Numerous athletes and officials announced a boycott in protest at the ousting of former national coach Joe Vueti, and the appointment of the 2000 Olympic 105 kilograms champion and former Iran and Oman head coach Hossein Tavakoli last month.

Vueti held the official title of national development officer, though he has been regarded as Fiji's national coach for many years.

The decision led to a led to a mass withdrawal of youth, junior and senior athletes from the Oceania Championships, due to take place from June 28 to 30.

This could result in Fiji's youngest lifters losing their chance to qualify for this year's Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires should they not attend the Championships in New Caledonia.

Eileen Cikamatana, Fiji's sportswoman of the year and one of the best young weightlifters in the world, has also indicated she would miss the Senior World Championships in November, an Olympic qualifying event for Tokyo 2020.

A FASANOC delegation travelled to Levuka last month to hear grievances of the athletes and share information they claimed was important for the athletes.

Levuka is the island where Vueti and most of Fiji's weightlifters live.

It was claimed by FASANOC that the organisation shared their own experiences and knowledge of how the structure of sports works in Fiji and the impact this conflict could have on the pathway of these high performing athletes.

A particular focus was placed on the potential impact on athletes who had secured International Olympic Committee scholarships for Tokyo 2020.

FASANOC claimed that, while the athletes had stated they would continue their boycott, the organisation felt a positive step had been taken with athletes having been "prepared to have dialogue with the Weightlifting Fiji Executive Board, on condition that the meeting is chaired by an independent facilitator".

The Levuka Club warned that the meeting must be held in Levuka, although FASANOC confirmed it would be held at Fiji Olympic House in Suva.

They hoped that at Levuka officials who are on the Board of Weightlifting Fiji and senior athletes would for the meeting yesterday.

FASANOC have expressed disappointment that while Weightlifting Fiji officials did attend the meeting, the boycotting athletes did not.

"FASANOC is disappointed at the stance taken by these athletes and officials as it believes that there has to be face to face dialogue between the two parties before any kind of resolution can be agreed on," Joe Rodan, the FASANOC President, said.

"Having done its part, FASANOC will respect the autonomy of Weightlifting Fiji, as an affiliated National Federation, to determine the course of action it feels necessary.

"It has, however, urged and encouraged the Federation to fully take into consideration the interest of the athletes involved."

Weightlifting Fiji claimed Tavakoli had been appointed as part of a programme to take the nation to a new level in the sport, and tied in with plans to create an elite performance centre in Suva.

Tavakoli has been appointed with funding and support from a Government-backed plan to appoint more foreign coaches.

Suva is due to host next year's IWF Junior World Championships.

SOURCE: INSIDETHEGAMES/PACNEWS

​Samoa 2019 will be the final edition of the Pacific Games to feature more than 24 sports, with the multi-sport event set to be capped for future editions.

The Pacific Games Council (PGC) are hopeful that by capping the number of events from the 2023 event, the Games would become more sustainable for hosts in the future.

The Games have grown significantly since the first edition in Suva in 1963, where nearly 650 athletes competed in 10 sports in the Fijian city.

There has been a gradual rise in both the number of sports and athletes, with the peak coming at the 2007 Pacific Games, held in Samoa’s capital Apia.

A total of 5,000 athletes competed in 33 sports at the Games.

Recent editions of the Games have seen a reduction, with 4,300 athletes competing in 27 sports in New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa in 2011.

A total of 3,700 athletes took part in 28 sports in Port Moresby, with Papua New Guinea’s capital staging the last edition in 2015.

Samoa is poised to see a further reduction to 26 sports, with the PGC deciding to limit the number to 24 from the 2023 event, which will be held in the Solomon Islands.

PGC chief executive Andrew Minogue stated that the decision was made for the sustainability of the Games, but also after assessing the number of athletes in events at Port Moresby 2015.

“For the 2023 Games onwards, the numbers are reduced to 24 - 16 compulsory plus 8 optional,” Minogue told insidethegames.

“We reduced the maximum number of sports with an eye to the sustainability of the Games for host countries, and also after reviewing entries for the 2015 Games in Port Moresby.

“We have a requirement for each sport to obtain at least six Pacific Games Associations/National Olympic Committee entries and based on the past few Games, 28 or 26 sports do not seem to be able reach this minimum standard across the board.

“The PGC believes that 24 is the right number for these purposes going forward.

“It is also double the maximum number of sports for our Mini Games.”

A total of 16 compulsory sports will feature on the Samoa 2019 programme, along with a further 10 optional sports.

The compulsory sports include athletics, basketball, boxing, football, golf, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and triathlon.

Rugby sevens, sailing, swimming, volleyball, weightlifting and Va’a – a canoeing discipline – are also compulsory.

The programme will be completed by optional sports archery, badminton, cricket, lawn bowls, netball, rugby league nines, powerlifting, shooting, squash and touch rugby.

It will mark the return of archery and badminton to the programme, with both sports having been absent from Port Moresby 2015.

Beach volleyball, hockey, karate and softball, which were on the programme in 2015, will not feature in Samoa.

Preparations are expected to be assessed this week in Samoa, with the PGC set to hold their General Assembly on Sunday (June 17).

A venue tour will take place the following day as part of a Chef de Mission seminar.

Samoa were awarded the 2019 Pacific Games in December as a replacement for Tonga. It followed Tonga’s Government withdrawing from hosting due to financial concerns.

A civil suit has been filed by the PGC and the Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee, with the organisation’s seeking damages from the Government.

SOURCE: INSIDETHEGAMES/PACNEWS

NATIONAL federations hoping to have their sport endorsed as part of Team PNG to the 2019 Pacific Games will be meeting with the Justification Committee of the PNG Olympic Committee tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.

The justification process for sports to attend the Pacific Games is long established with PNG Olympic Committee to ensure sports and their athletes are properly prepared and the final athletes and officials endorsed to be part of Team PNG are of a standard expected.

​The Pacific Games Council and Tonga's Olympic Committee, TASANOC, have lodged a claim for millions of dollars of damages against the government for their late withdrawal from hosting the 2019 event.
 
The government pulled out of their hosting agreement last year, citing financial difficulties.
 
The Supreme Court has issued a Summons of Writ which the government has 28 days from issuance, (May 15), to answer.
 
The Games Council CEO Andrew Minogue said the his body was seeking damages for the losses that it suffered as a result of the unilateral decision to withdraw without consultation.
 
TASANOC is seeking the same.
 
Minogue said the claim was for three parts of the damages that were being sough as far as the council was concerned.
 
“The first is unpaid fees that were due to us over that four year period, that were owing to us that we obviously now won't receive from Tonga; the cost of finding an alternative host, which was a process that we were forced to go through in the second part of last year,” he said.
 
“Travelling around to the various locations, putting documents together and so forth, were costs we didn't expect to have to face and also supporting the new host who has to now organise the Games at very short notice,” Minogue said.
 
“And the third component to the damages is simply the brand damage. The brand damage in the market place with commercial sponsors and partners, seeing that we have had a Games had to be moved in this way with no real consultation and cooperation about it. That is actually a real cost to us in the long term and to our brand.”
 
Minogue wouldn't confirm an amount the total claim was for, but said reports of over three million US dollars were “in the ballpark”, if both the Council and TASANOC claims were combined.
 
He said Tonga's belated withdrawal from hosting the 2019 Games could prove costly to the kingdom in other ways too.
 
Minogue said the whole saga meant reputations were adversely affected.
 
“I think it's cost the country in terms of its reputation and the damage to its brand as a reliable partner for other events and things that they may wish to do in the future so I think it has been a very costly exercise for everybody,” he said.
 
 Minogue said the legal action was unfortunate but the Tongan government only had itself to blame.
 
He said the Council had tried to work with the government to address their concerns.
 
“We wanted an opportunity to sit down with the government and work through whatever cost or financial issues they might had,” the CEO said.
 
“As the owners of the event we have got the ability to scale it down, reduce the size of it, possibly cutting some sports or limiting the entries by athletes.
 
“[There] are all sort of methods we could have employed to keep the costs down and to keep the Games in Tonga where they should have been."
 
Samoa is now hosting the 2019 Pacific Games.

SOURCE: RNZ PACIFIC/PACNEWS

Funding arrangement for the Pacific Games 2023 with Taiwan has been sealed.
 
This came after Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela successfully negotiated the arrangement with the Taiwanese President during his bilateral talk with President of Taiwan Dr Tsai Ing-Wen this week.
 
A statement from the Prime Minister Press Secretariat last night said, Prime Minister Houenipwela has confirmed the funding arrangement for the Pacific Games 2023 with President of Taiwan Dr Tsai Ing-Wen.
 
The statement further added, Taiwan’s president has thrown her Government’s full support for the Games and she was particularly overwhelmed and welcomes the ‘Green Games’ initiative.

APIA -Former Samoa Member of Parliament, Aveau Niko Palamo, is the new Director of the Pacific Games Committee. 
His appointment was confirmed by Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee Vice President, Leasi John Galuvao.

“Aveau is the 2019 Pacific Games Director who is working alongside with the CEO, Falefata Hele Ei Matatia.

“Aveau’s qualifications to assist Falefata are unquestionable and Aveau’s abilities and his experience will go a long way to assist with the upcoming Pacific Games next year.”

“He is part of the team and Aveau is basically the go to person for everything concerning sports,” said Leasi.

Aveau is a former Manu Samoa 15’s and 7’s rugby player and coach. He was first elected to Parliament of the independent State of Samoa in the 2011 election.

Aveau was at one time the CEO of SASNOC.

Last month, the CEO of the Pacific Games Council, Andrew Minogue visited Samoa to assess progress and offer assistance in preparing the newly established Pacific Games office for the work ahead of them.

“My impressions so far are very positive. My reception by the new Chief Executive Falefata Hele Matatia has been great. I leave knowing that knowledge and expectations are being heard and absorbed,” said Minogue in a statement.

Minogue is no stranger to Samoa, having played a key role as a Games adviser during the 2007 South Pacific Games. His insights from both an operational and strategic level have been well received by the Pacific Games 2019 CEO Falefata.

“With the passing of the Pacific Games Act last week, Andrew’s visit is a timely and extremely valuable one. There are only 16 months left to prepare and any knowledge we can access to make these Games successful and memorable one is greatly appreciated,” said Falefata in the statement.

Over the past few days,Minogue and Falefata have been out meeting key stakeholders and potential sponsors.

“Raising public awareness about the Games and developing an inspiring and meaningful brand identity and marketing campaign are key priorities for the office,” said Falefata.

He also identified the refurbishments of venues as another key priority area that required urgent attention.

“There are 26 sports scheduled for the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games. Ensuring that the venues are all fit for purpose and meet international regulations will be a key focus going forward.”

“Running alongside that is developing a Games schedule to help all Pacific teams prepare their athletes and officials,” said Falefata.

With just more than 460 days left before 4,000 athletes and officials are expected to converge on Samoa’s shores, time is of the essence.

“Our team is enthusiastic and ready for the challenge ahead. Next year the limelight will be on Samoa, and the world will have the opportunity to once again witness the talent of Samoa and Pacific athletes,” added Falefata…..PACNEWS

The Fiji Government has allocated more than $1 million (US$500,000) to assist Team Fiji for next month's Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia.
 
This was revealed in Parliament by the Minister for Youth and Sport, Laisenia Tuitubou.
 
"Government is committed to give grants in preparation for athletes and this started three years ago," he said.
 
"This year, the Government grant allocated for Commonwealth Games 2018 is $1,791,547.
 
"From this, $1,124,060 is for Team Fiji preparation and $667,487 is for costs associated with the team's participation in the Commonwealth Games."
 
The Team Fiji contingent consists of 96 athletes who will be competing in athletics, badminton, weight-lifting, sevens rugby (men and women), netball, table tennis, squash, beach volleyball, swimming, lawn bowls, shooting and boxing.
 
Forty-five officials will be accompanying the team.
 
Tuitubou said $720,000 was allocated to assist Team Fiji during the South Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in 2015.
 
The Commonwealth Games will be April 4 - 15.

SOURCE: FIJI TIMES/PACNEWS

Digicel Tonga supports Special Olympics with team going to Fiji next month for the Anniversary Games from 30th April to 3rd May.

In supporting, it’s also incentivized customers who buy a 4G Smartphone for only $149 (with 1Gb free data) the chance to win a trip to Fiji for 2, 6 nights’ accommodation, domestic flights in Fiji, TOP$1000 spending money and tickets to watch the Anniversary Games at ANZ Stadium, Suva. 

In addition with every smartphone sold at any Digicel store, $1 TOP is donated to Special Olympics Tonga. 

The promotion ends 20th April and the winners will be announced thereafter.

The 3 members of the travelling team from Tonga are: Sione Saafi, Fatai Kefu and Kilistina Vaitohi.

Source: Press Release

Pacific Games Council President Mr Vidhya Lakhan has raised the need for a clean Honiara for the 2023 Pacific Games.
 
Lakhan made a 5 day visit to the country last week to meet with the local sport federations and assess the country’s preparations for the 2023 games.
 
“We want to see a clean and modern Honiara,” he said.
 
“In 2023 we want to present to other pacific countries a different Honiara to what we are seeing today.”
 
Lakhan said they will be meeting with the Honiara City Council Mayor, Andrew Mua to discuss plans in upgrading and beautifying the city for the games.
 
He said they want other Pacific Islands athletes who will be coming to Honiara to see a different Honiara and to return with a positive impression on the city.
 
“Its still early days but we are impressed by the enthusiasm shown by your government to start things early, which is what we want,” he said.
 
“We want ground work to begin by 2020, but your government has indicated they want to start a bit early.”
 
Meanwhile Pacific Games 2023 preparations task force  team leader Gabriel Suri said they want to recommend to the government to market the Games as ‘Green Games’.
 
Suri said the public should work together with the government to ensure cleanliness is maintained during the games.
 
“If it is possible, we must use renewable energy, and also means we have to recycle our wastes, ” he said.
 
“What is necessary is that we must keep Honiara, which is the host city, clean, and even if we need to ban plastics, the government and Honiara City Council must make laws to ban plastics.”
 
Suri said not only wastes but also infrastructure must be managed and maintained to ensure the games proceed with ease.
 
He said the Pacific Games in 2023 is not just about the games, but is also about organising the country and city.

SOURCE: SIBC

The Pacific Games Council (PGC) has commended the Government for its strong commitment in ensuring Solomon Islands delivers the Pacific Games in 2023.
 
A statement from the Prime Minister Press Secretariat said, Pacific Games Council President Vidhya Lakhan and his CEO Andrew Minoque highlighted this when they met with the Prime Minister at the Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (OPMC) last week.
 
Lakhan also assured the Prime Minister of the Council’s support and the ongoing work with NOCSI and the Home Affairs Ministry.
 
He also informed the Prime Minister that the Council is expected to formulate an agreement to draw up a timeframe and tasks on what is expected to happen this year and leading up to 2023.
 
“The critical years are this year and next year and we are on track,” Lakhan said.
 
The Games CEO Minoque said Solomon Islands can make history as the first country apart from the seven pacific countries that have hosted the Games in recent years.
 
Prime Minister Houenipwela in response has assured the PGC President and CEO that the whole nation is throwing its full support for the Games in 2023.
 
“I can assure you that my Government and if I am correct the Opposition and Independent Groups are fully supportive of this Games and are eager to see it happen. The challenge is we must do the right thing,” he said.
 
The Prime Minister also insisted that the time-frames be formulated in time so that it can also be submitted to the Government so that it can push everyone involved to get down to business.
 
Houenipwela also informed the PGC leaders that as part of the Government’s plan they are looking at upgrading existing facilities which can later be handed over to institutions in the country to manage.
 
“The whole idea is to build what we can manage and sustain after the 2023 Games. We do not want to build white elephants which will end up being unsustainable,” the Prime Minister said.
 
Both Lakhan and  Minoque have agreed with the sentiments shared with the Prime Minister that it is wise to build infrastructures that can be sustained in future.
 
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has also informed the PGC leaders that starting this year until 2023 the Government will be putting aside budget allocation for preparations towards the Games.
 
The Prime Minister also acknowledged that the Government, NOCSI and all partners involved must work together to get things off the ground as soon as possible.

SOURCE: SOLOMON STAR