Sport: NZ /Australia involvement a "success" for Pacific Games

11:37 am on 15 July 2015

The Pacific Games Council believes the involvement of New Zealand and Australia at the Games for the first time has been a success.

The two countries are competing in only a handful of events in Papua New Guinea.

They've also been involved in controversy, with New Zealand weightlifter Douglas Sekone- Fraser sent home for calling locals cannibals on social media and the New Zealand football team disqualified from the Olympic qualifying tournament for fielding an ineligible player.

But the council's executive director, Andrew Minogue, says the standard of competition has already been raised and that can only be good for the Games.

"I think the crowds here are very knowledgeable and they enjoy good sport and good competition and I think to the extent that the Australia and New Zealand athletes are improving the competition I think that the local crowds really do appreciate that. Probably the best example was the women's rugby sevens final where Fiji narrowly beat Australia - a very tight match in front of a good crowd and the public loved it. We are halfway through the Games and it is a trial so we don't want to comment too much [yet]".

Andrew Minogue says it's too soon to say what, if anything, the involvement of the two countries will be at the 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga.

Australia and Fiji contest the Pacific Games women's sevens final in Port Moresby.

Australia and Fiji contest the Pacific Games women's sevens final in Port Moresby. Photo: RNZI / Vinnie Wylie