Country must prove rights to host Games

THE PNG Pacific Games Association (PPGA) will have to convince the visiting Pacific Games Council (PGC) delegates on Friday that PNG has the right to host the Pacific Games in 2015.
The PGC delegates will start arriving tomorrow for their board meeting on Friday in Port Moresby.
The meeting will run from April 27-29.
Following the meeting, the PGC executive will hold a series of meetings from April 30 with stakeholders including the PNG Pacific Games Authority, the PNG 2015 Games Organising Committee and the PPGA which is the PNG Sports Federation and Olympic Committee.
Minister responsible for 2015 Pacific Games Bart Philemon during the launching of the games authority last month urged everyone to work together to put up a spectacular Pacific Games.
Philemon said he put up his hands to be the minister in charge of the games because he was proud of his country.
“Some of you know how intense and passionate I was about the composition of the board at the first place.
“We are not all going to each have our own way all the time.”
He urged individuals and groups to:
l Ensure that we keep the right to host the 2015 pacific Games;
l Ensure that we prepare as best as we can to host the 2015 Pacific Games,
l Ensure that we prepare our athletes as best as we can so they can do us proud; andl Ensure that we do all that with as realistic and reasonable cost as possible.
Philemon said the use of binding “host contract” as a basis for staging the upcoming Pacific Games was basically untried.
PNG is a testing ground for this.
Philemon urged games authority chairman Kostas  Constantinou and his board to maintain a spirit of mutual liaison and consultation as Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had always reaffirmed to make sure PNG delivered the best games ever.
Philemon understands that infrastructure and equipment committee have done their bit, but now need to link to government procurement processes and procedures.
“We will need to address this quickly so actual design and construction can proceed,” he said.