Transcript
ANDREW MINOGUE: We have a contract that we signed in 2012 when our general assembly awarded Tonga the games and there are termination and suspension clauses in the contract so there are procedures that can be activated if one of the parties wishes to not go ahead and there's a process that needs to be followed and of course in this case it has not been followed. So that's why I think it's come in a shock and it's why we've said in our statement we haven't been consulted in the decision because I think if finances are a concern of the Tongan Government - and I have no reason to doubt that that's not a concern for them - then the Games Council would always stand ready to address those concerns where possible by looking at the size and the scope of the Games.
VINNIE WYLIE: Considering financial concerns have been highlighted, there have been numerous attempt to try and minimise that concern. The government wanted to build a new course, even though the Games Council and the Organising Committee both made it clear that wasn't necessary. There's been a lot of help from donor countries, such as China, New Zealand and Australia, (and) there's been a lot of support to try and help Tonga.
AM: There has been. Starting from the top of your little summary, with the golf course we've made it known right from the beginning that the exisiting course, which is I think a nine hole course, would be suitable. We've run Pacific Games or Mini Games competitions on nine hole courses before. We've not asked for a new golf course and we've said that many times through the authorities in Tonga. Look, what I think a lot of people don't realise is that Tonga hosted the Pacific Mini Games back in 1989 and there's some legacy venues from those Games, like the Atele Stadium and Queen Salote Hall. Those are very very good, very very compact venues that we're all happy to use in 2019. That's a very good foundation for a lot of the sports and, then as you said, the Chinese Government have committed to building facilities at Tonga High School, the main (Teufaiva) stadium is being upgraded and Tonga is actually on the verge of having all the facilities that they need to run the Games and so that's why the decision is so confusing and so difficult to understand. If you're looking at the operational cost of running a two-week event they're things that, if there's concern with the cost of that, we can look at and we can bring down. We've always said that we're only here for two weeks, we don't want things built that are unsustainable. We've always stood ready to assist in bringing those costs down, if that's a requirement.
VW: Is there still any hope that Tonga could end up, after all this, hosting the games in 2019?
AM: Well our Executive Board of the PGC is going to have an emergency meeting probably next weekend. We will invite TASANOC, the Tongan Olympic Committee, to attend that meeting and the Games Organising Committee Chair as well to brief us on exactly what's happening on the ground in Tonga and I think we will just leave it at that. I think we will allow the board to have that discussion and then we will look at what the next steps are that we need to take.
VW: Because if Tonga does not host the games in 2019 it's obviously a very short time-frame for another country, another part of the region to take up the mantle?
AM: That's correct so we will be looking, when we meet, to move fast in whatever direction we need to move in: whether it's what's happening in Tonga or whether we're looking further afield - we don't have a lot of time. The games were slated for July 2019, which is, as you know, only 26 months away. Another host, if we're at that point of having another host, could potentially run the games later in the year but we always have our games the year before the Olympics so we don't have a lot of time."
