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Preparations for 2023 Pacific Games moving forward
Construction of the National Stadium in Honiara Solomon Islands is supposed to be sponsored by Chinese-Taipei, but China has stepped in and will be shouldering majority of the costs of hosting of the 2023 Pacific Games. (Contributed Photo)
After months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the 2023 Pacific Games are now making headway as far as preparations for the quadrennial competitions are concerned.
Host Solomon Islands has recently signed an agreement with Indonesian government-owned construction company PT Wijaya Karya to build a sports complex for the Pacific Games. The facility will be used for futsal, basketball, and volleyball tournaments with target completion date by Dec. 31, 2022. The cost of construction of the multi-purpose sports complex is pegged at $7.5 million.
The hiring of the Indonesian company for the construction of the 5,800-square meter facility came a few weeks after a delegation from China arrived in the Solomon Islands to start working on the National Stadium in Honiara. China is also funding the construction of the 10,000-seater stadium and majority of the costs (around $246 million) of the hosting of the Pacific Games.
Besides the National Stadium, the Solomon Islands will also build a new Olympic-sized swimming pool, five tennis courts, practice athletics track, and a hockey field to host the more than 2,000 athletes and officials participating in the Pacific Games three years from now.
The 2023 Pacific Games, which will run from July 14 to 28, will feature 16 mandatory sports—athletics, basketball (3×3 and 5×5), boxing, football, golf, judo, outrigger canoe, rugby 7’s, sailing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball (indoor and beach), and weightlifting. There are 21 optional sports and the events that will added to the mandatory list will be decided when the Pacific Games Council holds a general assembly early 2023. (Saipan Tribune)
