No Sunday games at 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga

The Pacific Games Council Annual General Meeting has been told that there will be no games on Sunday at the 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga.

The Chief Executive Officer for the 2019 Tonga Pacific Games Organising Committee  and for Prime Minister Lord Savele said it was one of the questions asked since games are being played at the XV Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

“One of the issues asked of us the other day was what our response would be about sports on Sunday, we have decided we’d go back to the traditional way we’ve been running the Pacific Games and for Sunday we’ll allow everybody to rest or go to the beach but there will be no sport played on Sundays when you’re in Tonga,” said Lord Savele.

He said the Tongan Government is committed to delivering the Games, hosting it and looking forward to seeing all the nations in Tonga in July of 2019.

Tonga will host 26 sports and the Organising Committee is thinking of including women’s weightlifting, boxing and rugby 7s.

These were not part of their initial bid.

The Tonga Games has been referred to as the ‘Walking Games’ where most venues for 2019 will be within walking distance of each other.

PGC President Vidhya Lakhan praised the Tongan presentation saying that the PGA was in good hands under the leadership of Lord Savele although he threw caution to sometimes politicians getting in the way.