(ATR) The Tahiti bid for the 2019 Pacific Games could not secure government financial guarantees, leaving the Pacific Games Council to choose between Guam and Samoa for the Games.
The PGC said in a release that without government guarantees there would be no further evaluation of the Tahiti bid. The announcement comes after the PGC visited Guam last week to evaluate its 2019 bid.
The PGC visited Samoa earlier this month, and said that venues from the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Games were included in the 2019 bid.
"These relatively recent major Games also mean that Samoa’s sports federations have the degree of competence and experience necessary to deliver a large scale event like the 2019 Pacific Games in a short space of time," a PGC statement read about the visit.
A decision on a replacement host for the 2019 Pacific Games will come in September. Tonga was originally tasked with hosting the Games, but withdrew after a lack of government support.
The PGC said in a statement it was "very impressed" with facilities in Guam proposed for the 2019 Games. Guam would rely on venues built for the 1999 Pacific Games for its 2019 bid, needing only slight modernization. The island’s governor told the PGC it would "financially underwrite" the proposed budget for the Games, subject to approval of the Guam legislature.
"Guam has presented a very professional expression of interest to host the 2019 Pacific Games and has demonstrated during our visit that they have the facilities and capability required to deliver a successful Games in a short space of time," Vidhya Lakhan, PGC President, said in a statement.
"The support of the Governor was welcome and we trust that before departing we receive positive indications from the Legislature that the necessary financial arrangements will be approved in the event that Guam is awarded the Games. This would ensure the stability and certainty that the PGC is seeking in the wake of the Tongan Government’s withdrawal as Games host."
A decision from the PGC Executive Council on the 2019 host is expected in September.
Written by Aaron Bauer
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