With less than seven months to go before the Honiara 2023 Pacific Games, the Pacific Games Council is pretty confident that the Solomon Islands will successfully deliver the Games.
“Facilities are being built but will be ready for the Games, with time to spare. We believe the Games will be delivered successfully,” said council CEO Andrew Minogue to Saipan Tribune.
Minogue’s assurance comes about a month after the Micronesian Games Council announced that the 10th Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Island has been delayed anew.
Council president Vidhya Lakhan also assured member nations of the Pacific Games that the 17th edition of the quadrennial event will push through as scheduled.
“We were quite impressed with the amount of work that has gone on from November last year to date… We left here (Honiara) November last year, knowing fully well that all the facilities will be handed over to the [Games Organising Committee] well ahead of time, and I am happy to say that we are still on schedule on getting all of the facilities up and running before the Opening Ceremony on November 19th,” he said.
National Hosting Authority chair Dr Jimmie Rodgers also assured the Solomon Islands and the region that all Games preparations are on track and will be ready before the start of the Games.
“We have assurance from the government that their contributions toward the Games will be paid by August in instalments—that in itself is a big positive for us…our preparations are in good shape and we will be ready in time for the opening ceremony of the Sol2023 Pacific Games,” he said.
Over 5,000 athletes from 24 island nations in the Pacific will converge in the Solomon Islands from Nov. 19 to Dec. 2 for the 2023 Pacific Games.
Sports to be offered in the Honiara Games are archery, athletics, basketball 5×5 and 3×3, beach volleyball, boxing, bodybuilding, football, golf, hockey, judo, karate, netball, powerlifting, rugby 7, rugby league 9, touch rugby, sailing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, va’a, volleyball, and weightlifting,
Micronesian Games Council secretary general Joey C. Miranda III last month regretfully informed member island nations that the 10th Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Island has been delayed due to the unreadiness of the host islands’ sports facilities.
The Games was supposed to be held in July 2023, but now moved to possibly in 2024. It’s the fourth time the Majuro Micro Games has been postponed. It was originally set for July 2022 then first reset to November 2022 before being slated to July 2023. The Micronesian Games was last held in Yap in 2018.
SOURCE: SAIPAN TRIBUNE/PACNEWS
