With expectations that the Pacific Games Council will shortly be seeking an alternate venue for the 2019 Pacific Games, Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee president, Joe Rodan Senior, has stated that Fiji will not be expressing an interest to host these Games. This is after consultations with its stakeholders on Fiji’s readiness for such an event.

Rodan Snr said while Fiji has most of the facilities and organisational support required, Fiji is standing back in favour of another Pacific countries. Fiji hopes, in time, to be able to organize another benchmark event as it did in 2003.

The Pacific Games Council (PGC) president Vidhya Lakhan, and CEO, Andrew Minogue, had visited Nuku’alofa on June 6-7 as part of the PGC’s resolution to make one last attempt to keep the 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga.

However, the Tongan Prime Minister informed the PGC that the Cabinet’s decision to withdraw from hosting the 2019 Pacific Games was final.

The Prime Minister had said that the Tongan Government wished to focus its resources on other more important areas of economic development and that sport was not an urgent priority to the Government.

The PGC Executive Board had previously advised its members, including Fiji, that it would be putting contingency plans in place to select an alternative host nation quickly in the event that matters with the Tongan Government were not fully resolved by June 30, 2017.

It is understood that this process will now be expedited.

The FASANOC president expressed his disappointment at Tonga’s withdrawal but understands that several countries have since expressed interest in stepping in to host the 2019 Pacific Games.

He assured the PGC and the new hosts of the 2019 Games of Fiji’s support.

-FASANOC

Feedback: oseab@fijisun.com.fj