PNG hosting rights under threat

A lack of urgency by lead organisations of the Papua New Guinea Pacific Games Association (PGA), the PNG Sports Federation and Olympic Committee and the PNG Sports Foundation, could see PNG missing out on hosting the Pacific Games in 2015.

PNG now faces the ignominy of having its hosting rights stripped from it two-and-a-half years after winning its bid to host the 2015 Pacific Games at a Pacific Games Council meeting in Rarotonga held in September 2009.

Pacific Games Council charter binds PNG to a number of deadlines that it has now missed.

Within six months of winning its bid, the Pacific Games Association of PNG had failed to draw up legislation which would establish two important committees – the 2015 Pacific Games Authority Board and the 2015 Games Organising Committee.

Having now toured the country, visiting chairman of the Pacific Games Council Vidya Lakhan and his executive officer Andrew Minogue said they were worried that PNG would not be ready in time for the games.

Speaking at a press conference in Port Moresby, the pair said their biggest concern was that PNG has done virtually nothing on the ground in the two years since winning the bid.

As a result the PGC believes facilities will most probably not be ready in time for the games.

Lakhan urged the 2015 Pacific Games stakeholders including government to resolve their differences in making appointments on various committees.