Little fun in games

Sports

Little fun in games Disorganisation the first obstacle at mini games

By Matai Akauola

The fifth South Pacific Mini Games in American Samoa have turned out more farce than sports festivity. The truth cannot be con cealed that the event is the most dis organised ever in the history of the South Pacific Games Council.

Whilst the hosts mean well, the circum stances far outweigh the good intentions.

So much has been said about the organisa tion of the biggest single event to be host ed by this American Island territory.

Six years ago in Papua New Guinea, the late former Governor Peter Tali Coleman placed the bid to bring the 1997 Mini Games to the islands of Tutuila and Manua.

Many moons have passed since and the games have come during the term of the third local Governor Tuese Sunia.

Whilst the weather has been blamed for

the delay in the completion of the stadium and the track, the resounding question is: what was being done over the past six years?

Some say politics had a hand in the problems being faced by the organisers.

Being an American territory, most of the visiting island nations were expecting the American influence to have been evident in the organisational structure.

Governor Tuese, in fact, while official ly opening the games, admitted to certain life patterns amongst Pacific Island nations such as the Mast-minute’, or malua, fever. 1999 South Pacific Games hosts Guam are - one hopes - taking the lessons leamt from here in their stride.

Guam’s National Olympic Committee president and Oceania National Olympic Committee vice-president Rick Blaz said: "We were the first delegates to arrive and see some of the things still being worked

on. I guess, as the game started to go on, there were a lot of things not set in place.

"I was very disappointed with the fact that in the opening ceremony, they did not have even flagpoles,” said Blaz.

"What we learn here we’ll take back and make sure we amend these problems.

"[And] communication is bad. I mean, we get last-minute notices.”

South Pacific Games Council secretary Vidya Lakhan, on the other hand, is unimpressed with the media coverage of the games. "I am very perturbed at the very negative reports emanating from journalists, both local and from overseas, who are covering the games,” he said.

Lakhan said that since his arrival in Pago Pago he had visited all the venues and facilities and was very impressed with the tremen dous work put in by the local organising committee.

“It is regretted that about two weeks of continu ous rain did not allow for the completition of the tracks any earlier. The housing for the athletes is perhaps the best I have seen offered by any previous South Pacific Games Organising Committee.”

However, he admits there will be some teething problems in the early stages but, like at any other games, these will be resolved as they are brought to the atten tion of the organisers.

There are many positive aspects of the games which far outweigh the negative [aspects], which the journalists could - and should - write about.”

But the disorganisation surrounding the event cannot be denied. There was a lot of confusion over the draws with organisers havingto send an SOS to Fiji athletic experts, led by Yuli Waqa, to come and redraw the athletics programme.

Transportation has also been a problem with netballers having to walk to training meets. But despite the problems, the com petitors are putting on a brave front and trying to "work with what we have”, as Fiji volleyball coach Alifereti Cawanibuka says. ■