Cook Islands urges PGA’s to maintain Mini Games

Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) says the Pacific nation will never host a Pacific Games in future.

CISNOC Secretary General Robert Graham told members of the Pacific Games Council (PGC) that his country would not be able to host Pacific Games because it has no capacity to host the games.

“We won’t be able to host a Pacific Games - never. We cannot it’s too big for us,” he said.

“About 12 of us members that will only probably host Pacific Mini Games,” he said.

Graham said if the PGC changes the Mini to Youth Games it won’t get the support from the government.

“If we were to make it a Youth Games I don’t think I will get 100 percent support from my government. If we say Pacific Games, they look at Pacific – doesn’t matter if it’s a mini Games. If we say Pacific our government will say yes we gonna help you.

“2009 was proof, today we have legacy, and we have a gymnasium that in some of Australia, NZ cities suburbs can’t beat. You observe our islands facilities its ‘wow’, that’s a legacy why because we host the mini games and get support from our Cook Islands people and  from our government because its Pacific Mini Games not Youth Games.

“We travel overseas for Oceania championships to participate in Youth Games, under, 18, under 20,” he stressed.

Graham emphasized the need for Pacific Mini Games to be retained.  

“For me I just hope that my brothers and sisters support that we maintain that Pacific Mini games because it gives us smaller countries a chance to host you guys- brothers and sisters to us. Probably maybe not so long distant future we gonna put another bid again.

“Please let’s take a really long look at these because it’s disadvantaging us the smaller PGAs,” he said.

PGC President Vidhya Lakhan assured members the concerns raised by the Cook Islands will be taken into consideration by the chairman of the Sports Committee.