The Tonga government does not have the right to cancel hosting the 2019 Pacific Games, said Lord Sevele, chairman and CEO of the 2019 Pacific Games Organising Committee. “It is a prerogative of the Tonga Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee TASANOC and the Pacific Games Council, not Government (Tongan Government),” he told Matangi Tonga today.

Lord Sevele is convinced that the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva does not have the right to cancel Tonga’s hosting of the 2019 Pacific Games.

“He may withdraw government support, but it is up to us, the sporting bodies and patriotic Tongans who want to see these facilities for our children and the future of Tonga. If we don’t do it now we will never be able to do it!

“We owe it to our children and to Tonga. Sports facilities are no different from wharfs, airports, roads and schools.

“We have to stand up [and tell him] – come on if can’t do it move aside. Because the reason he has given doesn’t hold water’,” said Lord Sevele, who is a former Prime Minister of Tonga.

According to reports PM Pohiva in Auckland over the weekend announced that Tonga will not host the 2019 Pacific Games. He said that his decision to "cancel the games" was made after he read an updated IMF report.

Lord Sevele said that the PM presented an IMF 2013 report at an Annual General Meeting they had on 4 May, presumably the one he read; but all ADB and IMF reports that he had come across pointed out that the games can be very good for Tonga, “provided that we take care of the cost, and that we get a fair percentage of the funds to host the game from donors.“

"Of the two factors that the World Bank Report pointed out, one is the overall cost of running the games, which we have to counter by seeking aid donors. The other is to control the civil service salaries- that is what he [PM] should be concentrating on.

“It is now or never for us to get quality sports facilities. If we don’t do it now, we will never be able to do it.”

Lord Sevele estimated that the government contribution would be only 30% of the total cost. “China has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with government for $56 million. New Zealand has donated $3 million and Australia has also pledged $5 million pa’anga.”

When Tonga won the bid in 2012 to host the 2019 Pacific Games, it was estimated that it would cost Tonga USD$70 million to host the games.

Penalties

Tonga might be penalised by the Pacific Games Council for not honouring their commitment to host the 2019 Games.

“I think the Council can,” said Feleti, “but I don’t think they will. They will come over here and there will be a meeting. Their main concern will be, ‘how can we pull together and make it happen.’”

PM Pohiva made the announcement that Tonga was pulling out from hosting the 2019 Pacific Games when he was in Auckland, during the weekend, but there has been no official confirmation from the Prime Minister's Office in Nuku’alofa of the announcement.

Late this afternoon, media were told that they were working on official announcement to be released soon. The Prime Minister was enroute to Thailand.