Funding was one of the main talking points of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat at the MSG Sports Committee Meeting yesterday at the Bose Levu Vakaturaga Secretariat Building in Nasova, Suva.
Representatives from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia was represented by the Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) were present at the meeting.
Fiji’s delegate, Phillip Hereniko who is the director at the Ministry of Youth and Sports shared that with the many tournaments that the member countries have and yet to compete in, it’s imperative to talk about funding which is a major requirement in sport.
“Given that there a couple of tournaments that’s all geared towards regional participation and I think as members of MSG we really need to consider which of these tournaments which includes the Oceania Games, the Pacific Mini Games, the Pacific Games and now we have the MSG tournaments, so we need to consider which one is more important as a member state given the subject as a I mentioned earlier which is about funding,” he said.
This also means considering factors like being clear of the responsibilities of the hosting country of a tournament and what they have to offer.
Another important aspect of the meeting is the MSG Charter which outlines the rules, regulations, and guidelines for sports competitions within the MSG region.
“We are also looking forward to the MSG Sports Charter which is something that we have been discussing for quite a while as a platform, and we are hoping that through this meeting today (yesterday) we will be able to finalise that and hopefully present something to the Minister’s Meeting,” Hereniko added.
The SMG Minister’s Meeting will be held today at the same venue.
