"They Can't Do It" Says Official

Mr Les Martin, of Suva, oldest president of the Games Council, which is reconstituted for each Games, told PIM that, after comparing notes with others who had inquired into Guam’s ability to host the Games, he is sure there is no possibility of Guam being able to act as host.

When he visited Guam in February last year at the behest of Games Council presidents he found that Governor Camacho didn’t want the Games and argued that Guam couldn’t afford them although the people were adamant that they could. They had fine schools, one the biggest he had ever seen which could easily accommodate and feed all the Games entrants and officials, but they had no other facilities.

Since then, a representative of the United States Athletic Union, which has responsibility for Guam in the athletic field, went to Guam to see what was going on.

“He and I met at Christchurch”, said Mr Martin, “and from what he told me I realised that no progress had been made in preparing for the Games since my visit. Nothing had been done. Later, he wrote a report in which he pointed out that legislation proposed to organise the Games was based on a resolution which contained the phrase ‘if funds are available’.

This legislation is still only at the proposal stage. In fact there is no evidence of funds coming from any other source.”