Tonga pulls out of event

The Tongan government has announced it is pulling the plug on hosting the 2019 Pacific Games.
The ABC’s Pacific Beat programme reported yesterday that the announcement was made by Tongan Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva in Auckland, New Zealand citing financial concerns. Tonga was handed the hosting rights for the 2019 games at the close of the 2015 games in Port Moresby and the Papua New Guinea Government made a commitment to assist the small Pacific kingdom with its preparations.
According to the ABC, Prime Minister Pohiva said in Auckland that although the games themselves would not be going ahead, work would continue on refurbishing the Teufaiva Stadium and other sports facilities.
Tonga’s hosting of the Pacific Games had been seen as an ambitious move and there had been arguments about the leadership of the games planning committee between Pohiva and a former prime minister, Lord Sevele who chaired the committee.
Pohiva used a World Bank report which highlighted the economic difficulties Tonga could face if it went ahead with the games.
“The prime minister has taken the advice and decided to pull out and save the country from making a costly mistake,” a spokesperson told the Kaniva news website. “But Tonga would still continue renovating facilities and maintenance it has started to prepare its athletes.”
Despite the move, early reports suggest the decision is not final and Pacific Games authorities have already questioned the World Bank report sighted by the prime minister.
The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation relayed the ABC story on Tonga’s withdrawal and added, “It’s unclear what impact this decision will have on the Solomon Islands’ plans to host the 2023 games”.
At a meeting earlier this year with Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tukuoh, Tonga’s High Commissioner to PNG, O’Neill again affirmed that “PNG is committed to help Tonga with infrastructure support for hosting of the 2019 Pacific Games.”