AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TO PACIFIC GAMES IN 2015
2015 South Pacific Games in PNG. Photo credit: www.papuanewguinea.travel
In Sports, Australia and New Zealand will for the first time participate in the pacific games this year.
President of the Pacific Games Committee – PGC, Vidya Larkan revealed this during his presentation at the Oceania National Olympics Committees – Pacific Islands News Association regional workshop in Suva over the weekend.
Larkan says the two countries are invited to compete only in four sports – Sailing, rugby sevens, weightlifting and Taekwondo, saying the reasons are these are competitive sports at the regional level.
The PGC chair adds the inclusion of Australia and New Zealand in the regions highest sporting event is to have recognition and qualification status for its athletes for Olympic games.
Currently, this has not been the case because of the absence of the two major sporting nations in the Oceania region.
The Pacific Games starts in PNG in July.