2019 Pacific Games

Samoa 'ready' to host Pacific Games

About 3,500 athletes from 24 nations across the region will compete in 26 sports from next Monday.

Samoa was only awarded the hosting rights in September 2017 after the Tongan government claimed it could not afford to stage the event.

But Pacific Games Council CEO Andrew Minogue says the Pacific Games Office in Samoa has done a very good job in a very short amount of time to ensure everything is ready to go.

"The organising committee opened for business on the 1st of March last year so really it's only 15 or 16 months," he said.

Golf teams test out Pacific Games venue

New Caledonia and American Samoa teams are taking part at Fagalii Golf Course, Apia, with the Samoan squad also competing as its final trial before selections are made for the Games.

The Samoa Open, played over three days, sees professional and seniors compete for a total of AUD$95,000 in prize money. It is also a test event for the Pacific Games.

With ten days before the Games open, David Barker, the technical delegate for Golf, said the course has already improved in the past week, with more regular mowing to make for faster greens.

PNG Rugby Union announces women’s 7s team

Chairman Syd Yates said coach Paul Tietjens has given the wider training squad, which has been in intense training since returning from the April Hong Kong 7s, every opportunity to make the final team.

Injuries, fitness levels, performance in game situation, attitude on and off the field, commitment and dedication to training, were among the factors that were used to name the final team.

Anti-doping tests for Pacific Games athletes

This has been confirmed by the Team Samoa Chef de Mission, Nynette Sass at a podcast training workshop for a group of journalists that is being conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“Our officials will be present at the games and will walk up to athletes that won their events, say if they win gold, the official will come up to them and tap their back to tell them to take the test. If the athletes refuse, they have to have a valid reason like they have another event to attend to. If not, officials will be on their backs till they take the test,” Sass said.

Pacific Games Badminton draws released

The teams have been allocated a seeded position based on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.

Seed position

  Country

1

Tahiti

2

Draw made for football competition at Samoa 2019 Pacific Games

Conducted by Football Federation Samoa, the draw used seedings based on FIFA rankings.

In the men's event, six teams had been set to be placed in Group A and five in Group B but due to an mistake on the day, five teams were drawn for Group A and six for Group B.

To rectify this, a straight swap was carried out in the match schedules between the groups.

Group A features hosts Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand under-23s, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

New Caledonia are the top seeds in Group B, alongside American Samoa, Tuvalu, Tahiti, Fiji and Solomon Islands.

PNG men’s soccer team in camp

With 24 days to go before the kickoff, head coach Bob Morris wants his players to get the little things right and understand their role in the game.

As days count down to the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa, which is set to start on July 7th, the PNG men’s soccer squad is hard at training.

Head Coach Bob Morris said players arrived in the camp on Sunday and are all excited.

With less preparation time left, they are betting on confidence and teamwork.

Smokefree Pacific Games re-enforces healthy message

Athletes, officials, spectators, volunteers, and the workforce involved in the Games are reminded that the event is smokefree.

May 31, which is just 37 days until the Opening Ceremony kicks off a fortnight of sporting competition, is the annual No Tobacco Day organised by the World Health Organization.

The annual campaign raises awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, and aims to discourage the use of tobacco in any form.

Samoa Pacific Games Office defends awarding of contracts

The Journalists' Association of Samoa and TV1 Samoa have this week hit out at the appointment of an overseas company as host broadcaster.

It comes after the Pacific Games Office on Sunday said the Singapore-based Melanesia Media Group had the contract.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Office said two offshore companies and one local company were approached to bid.

It did not name the local company but TV1 Samoa told local media on Tuesday that it was asked to make a proposal but only given three days.

Hotels to house Pacific Games boxers

CEO of the Games Organising Committee Falefata Hele Matatia told Newsline Samoa that Jet Over Hotel, Lucia Chalets, Savai'ian Hotel and Rosalote Hotel have been chosen for their close proximity to the boxing venue at Salelologa.

Boxing is one of 26 sports being contested in Samoa and will be held at the Catholic Church run Don Bosco School.

"When the request was put to us by government our school embraced it, it is our contribution to the government efforts in hosting the Games," said Principal of the college Father Nuku Tevita in a telephone interview with the newspaper.