by Mickey Kavera – EM TV, Port Moresby
Due to the Vanuatu government unexpectedly reducing their budget for the 2015 Pacific Games, the Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee, or VASANOC, has no option but to decrease the number of sporting codes from 17 to 9.
The 17 sporting codes confirmed for the Games by the first deadline were: Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Cricket, Football, Golf, Hockey, Karate, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Squash, Table-Tennis, Tennis, Taekwondo and Volleyball.
The nine sports confirmed by the final deadline were recommended and ranked by the SJ Commission as follows: Beach Volleyball, Tennis, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Cricket, Athletics, Hockey, Football and Karate.
PM Natuman assured VASANOC that Vanuatu would lose hosting rights for the 2017 Pacific Mini Games should they not participate in this year’s Pacific Games. VASANOC, in turn, resubmitted another budget for this exercise to the government and to date, has received no response.
VASANOC apologised sincerely for the inconveniences caused to the sporting codes of Basketball, Boxing, Golf, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Squash and Volleyball.
