TONGA – The Pacific Games Council is giving the Tonga government one month to address its financial concerns over hosting the 2019 Games.

If Tonga fail to do that by June 30, then the council will call for expressions of interest from elsewhere in the region.

The Council’s Executive Board met on Friday to address the government letter withdrawing their support for hosting the event.

It was also addressed by Lord Vaea, the acting President of Tonga’s Olympic Committee, TASANOC, and Lord Sevele, the chair of the Tonga 2019 Pacific Games Organising Committee.

CEO of the Pacific Games Council, Andrew Minogue, said they resolved to make one last attempt to keep the 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga.

“We agreed as a board to provide a short window of opportunity of basically one month, until the end of June, for the Tongan government to come back to the table to negotiate with the Games Council around the cost concerns that they have in relation to the Games,” he said.

“At that point we will make a decision – all parties – whether to remain in Tonga.

“If that doesn’t happen by the end of June we start putting out expressions of interest out to other countries who may wish to host the Games in 2019”.

Minogue said the Board remained confident Tonga could successfully host the 2019 Games, provided the government resumed its support.

“The Organising Committee has been up and running for several years and it’s doing its work,” he said.

“The venues are coming together with the help of donor governments – particularly the Chinese and Australia and New Zealand with the main stadium– so we’re confident the facilities will be in place.

“The government has the financial resources to make contributions where necessary, with the venues but also with the operational costs of the Games, and if that support resumes, as it has been there for the last four and a half years, then we remain confident that Tonga can deliver the event.”

The Pacific Games Council said it will now ask TASANOC to facilitate an appointment between Games Council representatives, the Prime Minister, ‘Akilisi Pohiva, and the cabinet next week to begin a process of fully reviewing the Games’ cost structures.

The Executive Board said contingency plans are also in place for selecting a new host if the Tonga government does not recommit its support by the end of June.

Lord Sevele met with New Zealand Tongan sports representatives in Auckland this week at which members passed a decision to launch a petition against the government’s stance on the Games.

Lord Sevele wanted to solicit the Tonga Aotearoa Amateur Sports Association representatives’ views on what they could do to bring back the Games to Tonga.

The latest statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday last week said the government had considered all possible options before deciding to withdraw from hosting the 2019 Pacific Games.

It said it was a “very difficult” decision.

A spokesman for the Tongan cabinet told Kaniva News last week that Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva had decided to save the country from what has been described as a “costly mistake”.

Pohiva first cast doubt on Tonga’s ability to host the event last year when he warned a number of construction projects for the Games were unlikely to meet their deadlines.

But in March, TASANOC secretary general Takitoa Taumoepeau, admitted preparations for the Games were “running late” but stressed the event would go ahead as planned.

Meanwhile the decision by the government to pull out has divided the Tongan community online.

Many stood by the government’s decision describing it as “smart” while others disagreed saying it was “embarrassing”.

- PNC sources