BY MIKE TUA
THE Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS) expressed its gratitude for a successful year in 2023. The institute, responsible for sports development and promotion in the country, showcased several achievements and milestones at the XVII Pacific Games 2023 in Honiara.
The country hosted the Pacific Games in 2023 and achieved the best-ever performance by Team Solomon. They won 12 gold, 37 silver, and 31 bronze medals, achieving an overall tally of 80 and ranking seventh. This was their best-ever performance at any Pacific Games.
SINIS Executive Director Aaron Alsop told local journalists in a press conference last Friday about the exceptional performances of national athletes in various competitions at the XVII Pacific Games 2023.
He said many local athletes’ secured medals and achieved record-breaking performances, bringing pride to the country at the 2023 Pacific Games 2023.The SINIS congratulated the team efforts of coaches, trainers, mentors, and international sports volunteer and technical experts who played a vital role in nurturing and guiding these athletes towards success.
”We just want to acknowledge, thank, and congratulate the incredible results of the athletes and the coaches. It was an amazing experience to see it all come to fruition.
“There was a lot of hard work over the last number of years, and it was incredible to have been able to develop and establish those partnerships with the Federations that enable us to support their athletes and coaches in their preparations.
“To see the results that we did at the Pacific Games 2023 was just mind-blowing. We’re very proud of what they have been able to achieve, so congratulations again to the athletes and coaches.
“I also want to acknowledge their families; I know it’s going to be a very challenging time for families during that period with the athletes training so much leading into the Games, and lastly, I want to acknowledge and thank the staff of SINIS, members of different communities within the Games Organising Committee (GOC), and others that we’ve worked with for being able to do our job.
“We really appreciate the work and support that they did for many months leading up to the Games, long hours, and they have done a terrific job, and we are very proud of what they have been able to achieve,” Aaron added.
Likewise, the SINIS Executive Director expressed its gratitude towards the government for their continuous support throughout the years. He said their support played a significant role in facilitating the establishment and successes of the institute.
“I just want to thank the government for the support they have provided for the SINIS High performance program for the last few years. It’s been an absolute honour and privilege to be part of this program and for the past 5 years and to see the support from the government to establish SINIS and to be able to do what we do through supporting the athletes and coaches is something that is humbling and we are very appreciative of that,” he said.
Aaron Alsop also extended his gratitude to the National Hosting Authority (NHA) Chairman Dr Jimmie Rodgers.
“We also want to thank the NHA chairman, Dr. Jimmy Rodgers for his leadership through that period without his support, it would be very challenging for us to do what we did for the last couple of years and overall for us,” he said.
