PNG withdraws support for Tonga ^Featured

The announcement about Tonga starting the process to pull out from hosting the Pacific Games was predictable and something that I’m not surprise at all, said Tkatchenko.

The Tongan prime minister made it clear that he inherited the Pacific Games and so that it was more of a burden that anything else, because of the economic and financial situation their country is facing.

Tkatchenko said: “Our commitment and assessment that we did for Tonga to host the 2019 is now basically stalled and will remain that way.

“We did not pay anything but we did offer assistance through our own personal staff to go to Tonga to train their staff in that regard.

“But when it comes to financial assistance, nothing had been delivered or committed yet. So it clearly shows that the government does not want to host the games and I think it will not be economically viable for them to host the games and that’s fair enough.

“Under the current economic situation the whole of the Pacific is facing I can understand the situation. Tonga hasn’t got gas oil or gold like PNG where we can pull on some of our resources to fund such games like we successfully did in 2015,” he added.

“PNG is not committed at all to host the 2019 Pacific Games and it will pre-mature to make a statement on it, because we are in election mode and we can’t commit the country to any such Games until after the new government is formed.

“PNG will not be bidding and will not committing to the 2019 Games.

“It is in the hands of the Pacific Games Council (PGC).

“The council will have to sit and work out what is their next plan of action for the Games,” he added.Pacific Games Council still expects event to be in Tonga

-PNG Post Courier