The OSIC News
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The OSIC News Volume 1, Issue 4 December 2003 From the OSIC Desk Archiving the South Pacific Games Welcome to the last issue of the OSIC News for 2003. The For the past two years OSIC staff members have been year has come and gone with some exciting collecting information relating to the South Pacific developments, which included the review of the Centre, Games dating back to the 1960s. Unfortunately all visit of the new IOC President, development of the new records of past Games that were kept at the South OSIC website, expansion of the OSIC collection and Pacific Commission in New Caledonia can not be resources. found. Since OSIC became the official archive for the SPG it has had the enviable task of collecting all This issue is dedicated to a report by Mr. Brian Minikin - results, official reports and information relating to all ONOC Development Officer, who has produced some past SPG. So far we have collected a substantial thought provoking analysis of the results of the 2003 amount of information and hope to compile a complete SPG. report of the Games to reflect its significance in the The number of medals each country wins has always history of sports in the region. measured success at the SPG. Maybe it is time that we It is apparent from the nature of requests that we often start looking at overall performance from a different receive that most of the countries that have participated perspective for the sake of sports development in each in past South Pacific Games do not have any records country. to indicate their participation. Preservation of records Participating in regional Games has become an from past Games should be given higher priority. expensive affair and the 2003 SPG was no different. In These Records are important information for our future regards to the daily per-diem that each country had to generation who should be given the opportunity to pay for each person, it ranks as one the most learn about the rich history of the SPG and how their expensive Games. Costs will only escalate, which country contributed to its success. makes it look bleak for smaller countries that may be thinking of hosting future Games. Detailed Analysis of the 2003 SPG It is interesting to look at the SPG from an analytical perspective. Brian Minikin who is the Development Officer for ONOC conducted a thorough analysis of the I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE 2003 SPG and came out with some very interesting data to throw a different perspective on how we look at 1 From The OSIC Desk the outcome of the Games. 1 Archiving the SPG According to Mr. Minikin, Tahiti and New Caledonia were clear leaders when it came to the number of 1 Detailed Analysis of the 2003 SPG sports that they participated in, in comparison to the 2 Starting Your Own Information Centre number of medals they won. This was a reflection of well-grounded development programs across a wider Analysis by Country 2 spectrum of sports. continued on page 2 The OSIC News 1 continued from page 1 Nauru on the other hand proved that you did not have to entered for Fiji was 23%, Behind Nauru, with 46%, have a big team to win the medals. Minikin went on to say New Caledonia with 38%, Tahiti with 28%, with PNG following Fiji with a strike rate of 20%. Samoa won that Nauru won 45% of all medals that were on offer in the 14% of the events they entered and all the other sport of Weightlifting and Power Lifting. He stressed that this Countries were able to win in less than 10% of the was also an indication of the selective sports development in events entered. Nauru, which had elected to concentrate on the sports where Thirteen Countries won Gold Medals at the 2003 they had the strongest possibility of winning medals. Mr. South Pacific Games and all except for Tuvalu and Minikin reiterated that due to the over emphasis of medal Marshall Islands were able to win a medal. Tuvalu tallies, development of other sports were greatly affected. finished fourth in Touch just missing their chance, Countries will only concentrate on sports that will win them which was a very encouraging result overall medals. If we were to rank success in these Games with "Like it or not, the Medal Tally will take a place of respect to Gold Medals achieved against the number prominence and will remain the tool by which of events entered, the top ten would be: many will judge our overall success or failure at these 2003 South Pacific Games. While this is not 1. Nauru 46% necessarily a valid measure of success it is 2. New Caledonia 38% important that we are able to evaluate the 3. Tahiti 28% participation and performance profiles for each 4. Fiji 23% sport and Country at the South Pacific Games". 5. Papua New Guinea 20% (Brian Minikin - July 2003) 6. Samoa 14% 7. Guam 7% Country Analysis 8. Tonga 7% 9. FSM 6% The following information was extracted from a report 10. Cook Islands/Vanuatu 3% compiled by Brian Minikin on the 2003 South Pacific Games This list still strongly reflects the overall entry by sport in the 2003 SPG, but by counting those sports that As was expected, Fiji entered nearly all the medal won any medal, the list reflects a measure of strength winning events. A closer analysis reveals some in that sport as well. interesting patterns. Mr. Brian Minikin's full report is available at the OSIC office upon request. The detailed analysis certainly sheds some From the Entry by Names that closed 2 months prior to the Games, only two Countries entered in more than light on how each team performed despite their overall 90% of the Gold Medal events on offer: Fiji (98.4%) medal tally. The report can also be found in the OSIC and New Caledonia (91.1%). website (www.oceaniasport.info). Three countries entered in between 50 and 90% of the Setting up your own Sport Information Centre medal events, these include Papua New Guinea (70.7%), Tahiti (70.7%) and Samoa (63.8%). The need to set up Sport Information Centres in each country is something that has been overlooked by most In the range of 20 – 50% of the medal events, there National Olympic Committees (NOC). Development has were eight Countries, including: Palau (48.4%), Tonga taken place in most other sports related areas within the (47.4%), Guam (34.9%), Vanuatu (28%), Kiribati NOC but most have neglected to develop ways of preserving (24.7%) American Samoa (23.4%), Solomon Islands (23.1%) and Nauru (20.4%). The remaining eight basic information that would assist athletes, coaches, Countries entered in less than 20% of the medal administrators, media and members of the general public. In- winning events. (Minikin - "Medal Analysis 2003 formation Centres provide additional resources that is SPG") essential to the education for coaches, athletes and administrators Comparison of Medals Won to Events Entered Of particular interest, was the performance of the Please Contact the OSIC staff if you need assistance in various Countries with respect to the events they had setting up your own sport information centre. entered? Fiji clearly entered the most events and was We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & represented in all sports at the 2003 SPG. Happy New Year The percentage of Gold Medals won per event The OSIC News 2 .