Good news for sports across the Blue Pacific.
The establishment of a Secretariat to address the implementation of challenges and needs in sports from countries in the region is approaching reality.
This was one of the main discussions at the Pacific Sports Ministers’ Meeting that convened at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel on Wednesday morning.
The discussions to setting up a Secretariat to address the needs and challenges of Sports in Pacific Island countries was initiated during the Pacific Sports Ministers’ Meeting at the Pacific Games in Honiara in 2023.
A Ministerial Working Group was set up to address this agenda to be presented in the next Minister of Sports Meeting and chaired by Samoa’s Minister of Sports, Laumatiamanu Ringo Mathew Purcell.
Minister of Papua New Guinea undertook that his Government would contribute PGK10m to enable the establishment of the Secretariat.
And on top of the agenda of the Pacific Ministers’ Meeting in Apia yesterday was the matter of where this administration office for Sports in the Pacific was to be set up.
According to the Chair meeting, Minister of Home Affairs, also overseeing Sports in the Solomon Islands, Isikeli Tuwai Vave (Jnr), the discussions about the Secretariat were about where it was to be placed if established.
The recommendation from the Ministerial Working Group provided the Pacific Community (SPC) located in Noumea, New Caledonia as the most preferred location, with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIF) in Suva, Fiji as an alternative.
One of the issues raised was whether the SPC was informed about this decision.
The Chair informed that SPC was not yet informed and as a result, one of the matters in the Communique at the end of the meeting was that SPC must be informed about this plan.
SECRETARIAT CRITICAL
Minister Isikeli, speaking with the media following the release of the Communique of the meeting, said the establishment of a Secretariat is critical to the development of Sports in the Pacific.
The issues that will be addressed by this office need to be taken care of to further sporting opportunities for the development of sportsmen and women at the international arena in this part of the world.
It is crucial that it becomes a reality, given there have been countless Pacific Ministers’ Meetings in the past where issues facing Pacific Islands in sports were raised yet, in all those years, nothing has been done to address them.
The administration office will address these issues and challenges so that there will be no more just ‘talk and no work,’ he said.
However, he guaranteed that the proposed Secretariat, once established, will ensure progress toward a brighter future for sports for Pacific Island countries.
He added that setting up an administration office of this nature is ‘critical’ to also bringing together all Pacific Island countries to collaborate in unity for a better outcome to these challenges.
“Diversity is important,” he said, but the Secretariat will ensure that Pacific Ministers will be ‘one voice and one tone’ regarding sports development.
When asked if he believed the establishment of a Secretariat for Sport for the Pacific would make any difference in addressing the challenges in sports, he said yes.
However, he wanted a decision to be made before the end of the gathering, although some issues raised by other Sports Ministers needed to be addressed.
SAMOA
Samoa’s Minister of Sports, Laumatiamanu, when approached for a comment, confirmed that all members have agreed to the establishment of the Secretariat.
However, there were some matters that required finalization before anything is completely set.
These include an Architecture review, which will be carried out by Australia and New Zealand, Cabinet Papers for the governments behind this initiative, and a draft of an indicative budget for the establishment.
This initiative will be presented to Pacific Leaders at the next Pacific Islands Forum, confirmed Laumatiamanu.
He also acknowledged that the Secretariat will be beneficial in many ways not just to the rest of the Pacific, but to Samoa, as it will be recognised as the voice of the Pacific in Sports.
As a collective voice with other Pacific Island countries, Samoa will have a better chance of being heard by larger countries and international sporting institutions.
The benefits, said the Minister, will include scholarships for sportsmen and women as well as coaches and trainers.
New Caledonia also presented gifts to Minister Isikeli as Chair and Minister Laumatiamanu as host of the meeting.
Attending the meeting were Sports Ministers from the Pacific and Senior officials responsible for sports in Pacific countries.
