Three Bids for 2019 Pacific Games

(ATR) Guam, Samoa and Tahiti submitted bids to replace Tonga as 2019 Pacific Games host.

The Pacific Games Council confirmed receiving three bids yesterday, at the conclusion of a month long interest period. The PGC says it will conduct site visits "where appropriate" for each bid. After the visits the PGC Executive Board will make a recommendation on a new host by early September.

"The PGC is delighted with this response and thanks the three PGAs for stepping forward with their intention to host the 2019 Pacific Games and delivering a strong vote of confidence in the importance of the Games and the benefits of hosting them," a PGC statement said.

"The three expressions of interest contain varying levels of details as well as varying levels of financial commitments from their respective governments."

Requests for comment about the bid from the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee were not returned. Attempts to reach the French Polynesia Olympic Committee were unsuccessful.

Guam National Olympic Committee President Ricardo Blas told Around the Rings that officials are meeting with the island’s governor after submitting the bid to the PGC. The bid calls for no new venues to be built, reusing ones from the 1999 Pacific Games.

The bid remains contingent on support from Guam’s Governor, as well as other political figures.

"We recognize the fact that in 2019, Guam will have a new Governor and why it is important to bring those political parties into the scheme of things so that both sides of the political parties are supporting the games," Blas added.

Written by Aaron Bauer

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.