BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Pacific Games Council President Mr Vidya Lakhan has called on Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to ensure a long-term commitment to the 2023 pacific games facilities.
President Lakhan made the pledge during the official handover of the 2023 Pacific Games stadium project on Friday 18 August at King George the Six in east Honiara.
Delivering his keynote address, Mr. Lakhan alluded that providing the venues to host the Pacific Games is the easy part, however, the most challenging part is the operation and its maintenance.
“What we in the Pacific do is to tell our partners to come and build the facilities for us, and when they do it, with little or no cost to the host nation, however for me the difficult part is the operation, the maintenance of such beautiful facilities.
“Often times you’ll find that the legacy made for the protocol of these felicities does not include proper taught out management, maintenance, and operation that would be supported by appropriate human resources and financial resources.
“This results from some of the facilities shut down completely,’’ President Lakhan told participants.
Mr. Lakhan stressed that Prime Minister Honourable Manasseh Sogavare must ensure a Long Term Commitment to the New National Stadium together with all the PG2023 sporting facilities.
“To you Mr Prime Minister I want to sound a word of warning and also to the youth and people of Solomon Islands. Mr. Prime Minister, please ensure that there is a long-term commitment from the Government to ensure that these facilities are well maintained and operated with adequate financial and human resources to deliver on their responsibilities for the benefit of the people of the Solomon Islands,’’ said Lakhan.
In response, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said that this is now the key focus of the National Hosting Authority.
“We heard you loud and clear Mr President. Thank you very much president for reminding us,’’ he assured Lakhan during his keynote address during the handing-over ceremony.
Hon. Sogavare said that the process of developing a long-term legacy plan and business plan that incorporate the plan for the use and maintenance of each facility has already commenced.
“We have commenced discussion with Papua New Guinea’s sports federation for twining partnership arrangement that would allow overseeing the facilities in the Solomon Islands used for regional and international competitions in the future,’’ he said.
He said that they have been in discussion with state own enterprises and private companies for sponsorship which would contribute toward the maintenance cost of all PG 2023 facilities.
Hon Sogavare said that the National Hosting Authority (NHA) and National Sports Council have joined to establish a facility’s operation management unit and will shortly recruit maintenance staff for each of the facilities to commence their maintenance work.
He stated that CCECC will provide maintenance support for the 2023 PG stadium for a period of 24 months as of 18 Friday, August 2023.
“The CCECC team will work with our facilities operation management unit during this 24-month maintenance period to maximize skills transfer. The NHA will assist the facilities operations management unit to be trained before all the facilities are transferred from the NHA to the National Sports Council after the PG,’’ he said.
