Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu 1 Present

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Present: Executive Board of PGC

Mr Vidhya Lakhan, President (Chairman) Mr Marcus Stephen, Vice President Mr David Boyd, Secretary-General Mr John Tierney, Treasurer Mr Ryan Pini, Athletes’ Representative Ms Frida Delmau, Executive Board Member Mr Andrew Minogue, Executive Director

Past Presidents of PGC

Sir John Dawanincura, (President, Papua New Guinea PGA) Mr Ricardo Blas, (President, Guam PGA)

Pacific Games Associations (PGAs)

Mr Victor Langkilde, President, American Samoa Ms Herrietta Molesi, Delegate, American Samoa Mr Hugh Graham, President, Cook Islands Mr Robert Graham, Secretary-General, Cook Islands Ms Siniva Marsters, Delegate, Cook Islands Mr Jerome Kado, Vice President, Fiji Ms Lorraine Mar, Secretary-General, Fiji Mr James Tobin, Secretary-General, Federated States of Micronesia Mr Sterling Skilling, Delegate, Federated States of Micronesia Mr Robert Steffy, Secretary-General, Guam Ms Anita Blas, Chief Executive Officer, Guam Mr Kautu Temakei, Secretary-General, Kiribati Mr Rota Onorio, Chief Executive Officer, Kiribati Mr Kenneth Kramer, President, Marshall Islands Mr Terry Sasser, Secretary-General, Marshall Islands Mr Dominic Cain, Secretary-General, Nauru Mr Sean Oppenheimer, Delegate, Nauru Mr Christophe Dabin, Secretary-General, Nouvelle Caledonie Mr Laurent Cassier, Delegate, Nouvelle Caledonie Mr Michel Quintin, Directeur, Nouvelle Caledonie Ms Audrey Cado, Delegate, Nouvelle Caledonie Ms Manogimoka Poihega, Delegate, Niue Mr Milton Bradley, Secretary-General, Norfolk Island Ms Sheryl Yelavich, Delegate, Norfolk Island Mr Michael A. White, President, Northern Mariana Islands Ms Laura S. Mangham, Delegate, Palau

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Ms Auvita Rapilla, Secretary-General, Papua New Guinea Ms Karo Lelai, Delegate, Papua New Guinea Mr Patrick Fepuleai, President, Samoa Mr Talalelei Pauga, Delegate, Samoa Ms Tagifano Soonalole, Delegate, Samoa Mr Martin Rara, President, Solomon Islands Ms Melinda Avosa, Secretary-General, Solomon Islands Mr Tauhiti Nena, President, Tahiti Nui Mr Taputu Faana, Delegate, Tahiti Nui Mr Charles Tauziet, Delegate, Tahiti Nui Lady Robyn Tu‘ivakano, President, Tonga Siosifa Takitoa Taumoepeau, Secretary-General, Tonga Mr Michael Bloomfield, Delegate, Tonga Mr Ampelosa M. Tehulu, President, Tuvalu Mr Isala T. Isala, Secretary-General, Tuvalu Mr Antoine Boudier, President, Vanuatu Mr Cyrille Mainguy, Secretary-General, Vanuatu Mr Yannick Jacobe, Treasurer, Vanuatu Ms Eileen Nganga, Delegate, Vanuatu Mr Allan Kalfabun, Delegate, Vanuatu Mr Soakimi Polelei, President, Wallis et Futuna

PGAs Absent: Tokelau

Observers: Government of Vanuatu The Hon. Charlot Salwai, Prime Minister

Government of Solomon Islands The Hon. Manasseh Sogavare, Prime Minister The Hon. Jeremiah Manele, Leader of the Opposition The Hon. Manasseh Maelanga, Deputy Prime Minister The Hon. Bodo Dettke, Member of Parliament The Hon. David Tome, Member of Parliament

Government of Tahiti Nui The Hon. Nicole Sanquer-Fareata, Minster of Sport H.E. Alain du Boispéan, French Ambassador to Vanuatu

International Olympic Committee Members Dr Robin Mitchell, ONOC President Mr Barry Maister, ONOC Vice President Ms Barbara Kendall, ONOC Athletes’ Commission

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

International Olympic Committee Staff Members Ms Nicole Girard Mr Nils Holmegaard

Oceania National Olympic Committees Staff Members Mr Dennis Miller Mr Matai Akauola Ms Hanisi Visanti Ms Natanya Potoi-Ulia Mr Meli V. Cavu Mr Fatafehi Daunivuka Ms Bole Digitaki

Pacific Games Organising Committees Mrs Emma Waiwai, Chairlady, Port Moresby 2015 Ms Tamzin Wardley, Sports Director, Port Moresby 2015 Mr Mark Stafford, Chairman, Vanuatu 2017 Mr Joe Carlo, Chief Executive Officer, Vanuatu 2017 Lord Feleti Sevele, Chief Executive Officer Tonga 2019 Lord Tevita Tupou, Delegate, Tonga 2019

2023 Pacific Games Bid Delegates Cr Eddie Ngava, Solomon Islands Mr George Palua, Solomon Islands Mr Gabriel Suri, Solomon Islands Mr Derek Futaias, Solomon Islands Mr Philip Fafe, Solomon Islands Ms Suzie Wale, Solomon Islands Mr Alfred Martin, Tahiti Nui Mr Gordon Barff, Tahiti Nui Mr Johan Bouit, Tahiti Nui Mr Charles Villierme, Tahiti Nui Ms Ruth Manea, Tahiti Nui Ms Cecile Tiatia, Tahiti Nui

Invited Olympic Committees Ms Helen Brownlee, Vice President, Australian Olympic Committee Mr Michael Stanley, President, New Zealand Olympic Committee Ms Kereyn Smith, Secretary-General, New Zealand Olympic Committee

Commonwealth Games Federation Ms Louise Martin, President

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee

Mark Peters, Chief Executive Officer Melissa Price, Manager CGA Relations

International Federations

Mr Chet Gray, Secretary-General, Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania (OSFO) Ms Patsy Vercoe, World Archery Oceania Ms Monika Elder, World Archery Oceania Mr Geoffrey Gardner, Oceania Athletics Association Ms Yvonne Mullins, Oceania Athletics Association Ms Nadia Bleaken, Badminton Oceania Ms Julie Carrel, Badminton Oceania Ms Makiroa Mitchell-John, Oceania Handball Federation Mr Lennie Niit, Oceania Judo Union Mr Michael Kassis, Oceania Karate Federation Ms Anne Tierney, Oceania Sailing Federation Ms Nancy Miyake, Oceania Swimming Association Mr James Morris, Oceania Table Tennis Federation Mr Michael Brown, Oceania Table Tennis Federation Mr Christian Holtz, Oceania Table Tennis Federation Mr Ethan Lake, United World Wrestling, Oceania

Observers

Ms Nynette Sass, Oceania Sport Education Programme Mr Ben Howard, Pacific Sports Partnerships Ms Katy Atkinson, Reporters’ Academy Mr Len Olender, Sportsworld

Interpreters

Ms Rachel Cuzin, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Noumea Ms Christelle Petite, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Noumea

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

1. CALL TO ORDER

The President of the Pacific Games Council, Mr Vidhya Lakhan (Chair of the meeting), called the meeting to order at 9.00am on Tuesday 10 May and invited Mr Joe Carlo (Vice President, Vanuatu PGA) to lead the General Assembly in prayer.

2. ROLL CALL AND APOLOGIES

Andrew Minogue (Executive Director) called the roll and 21 of the 22 Pacific Games Associations (PGAs) were recorded as present. Tokelau was absent from the meeting.

The Chairman announced that with 21 PGAs present, the meeting had obtained the necessary quorum as per Article 13.4 of the Charter. He called for any apologies to be recorded.

Apologies were received from Mr Berney Martin (President, Federated States of Micronesia PGA); Mr David Collins (President, Kiribati PGA); Mr Mal Tarrant (President, Norfolk Island PGA); Mr Charles Cali (President, Nouvelle Caledonie PGA); Mr Frank Kyota (President, Palau PGA); Ms Baklai Temengil (Secretary-General, Palau PGA); and Mr Roger Kaddour (Past President, Pacific Games Council).

The Chairman then asked the meeting to observe a moment of silence to honour those members of the Pacific Games family whom had passed away since the 2015 meeting.

3. OFFICIAL OPENING ADDRESSES

The Chairman formally welcomed the 21 PGAs to the meeting, as well as two former Presidents of the Pacific Games Council, Sir John Dawanincura and Mr Ricardo Blas.

The Chairman also warmly welcomed the visiting dignitaries in attendance, including the Tahiti Nui Minister for Sport, the Hon. Nicole Sanquer-Fareata. He noted that the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands would arrive soon. He also welcomed the ONOC President, Dr Robin Mitchell and the other IOC members in attendance, Mr Barry Maister and Ms Barbara Kendall; executives and staff from the IOC and ONOC; representatives of the International Federations, including Mr Chet Gray, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania; as well as representatives of the Australian and New Zealand Olympic Committees, who were attending as observers.

The Chairman then asked delegates to be upstanding for the arrival of the Hon. Charlot Salwai, Prime Minister of Vanuatu.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Upon seating Prime Minister Charlot Salwai beside him, the Chairman congratulated the Prime Minister on his recent election. He said the Council was very grateful to have received the support of the new Government of Vanuatu for hosting the 2017 Pacific Mini Games. He assured the Prime Minister that the Council would work closely with his Government to ensure that the Games would be a success.

The Chairman said that this could be the 43rd General Assembly of the Pacific Games Council and that it was a much stronger organisation that it was back in 1963 during the inaugural edition of the Games. No longer were the Pacific Games an event taking place in a remote corner of the globe. Today the Games were being watched throughout the world and the sports program was beginning to fit into the programs of the International Federations. The Games were getting bigger and obtaining a larger profile.

The Chairman said that the meeting would cover a very large and important agenda, including the quadrennial review of the sports program following the 2015 Pacific Games. He said the size of the Games would be reviewed as well as the compulsory sports and the Pacific Mini Games program. Invitations to Australia and New Zealand to participate in the next cycle of Games would also be proposed as a result of the very successful trial inclusion of their athletes at the 2015 Games.

The Chairman expressed his hope that the meeting would unanimously approve the continuation of this trial as Pacific athletes had benefitted enormously from competing alongside Australian and New Zealand athletes in Port Moresby. Pacific teams and athletes had either qualified directly for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, or at events held subsequently. He said that the inclusion of Australia and New Zealand would enable more sports to be used at the 2019 Pacific Games as qualifying pathways for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games or for World Championships.

Finally, the Chairman noted that delegates would be choosing between two excellent bid proposals to host the 2023 Pacific Games from Tahiti Nui and Solomon Islands. He wished both PGAs well in their final presentations. He then invited the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the Hon. Charlot Salwai, to address the delegates and formally open the General Assembly.

Prime Minister Salwai began by welcoming the Pacific Games Council delegates to Port Vila. He welcomed the dignitaries from Tahiti Nui and Solomon Islands, as well as the President of ONOC, Dr Robin Mitchell. He thanked the Chairman for the Council’s selection of Vanuatu to host the 2017 Pacific Mini Games, and for conducting the 2016 General Assembly in Port Vila. He said the General Assembly was a very important gathering for the development of sports in the Pacific region. He urged all delegates to redouble their efforts to assist the youths of the Pacific, whose growing populations needed exposure to sports to be able to value and develop a healthy lifestyle. Through sports, a better and healthier society could be developed throughout the Pacific.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Prime Minister Salwai promised that Vanuatu would host a successful 2017 Pacific Mini Games. He assured the meeting that his Government was fully supportive of the Games, and he invited delegates to return in December 2017 with their athletes and teams.

Prime Minister Salwai then officially declared the General Assembly open.

The Chairman thanked Prime Minister Salwai for his address and reiterated the Council’s gratitude for the Vanuatu Government’s support for the 2017 Pacific Mini Games. He said he had taken note of Prime Minister Salwai’s plea to work for the development of youths in Pacific and said the Pacific Games Council would always endeavour to do so. He thanked Prime Minister Salwai for his leadership and wished him well in his governing responsibilities.

The Chairman then adjourned the meeting at 9.30am for morning tea to enable a media event to be staged with the Prime Minister, followed by the customary group photo.

Upon the resumption of the meeting at 10.15am, the Chairman invited Cyrille Mainguy, Secretary-General of the Vanuatu PGA, to give the host PGA’s welcome address.

Cyrille Mainguy welcomed the delegates to the 2016 General in Vanuatu and said it was a great pleasure for the Vanuatu PGA to host the meeting. He expressed his PGA’s happiness that Prime Minister Salwai had attended the opening of the meeting and offered his Government’s support to work with the Vanuatu PGA towards hosting a successful Pacific Mini Games in 2017. He said it had been a difficult journey to this point, but with the Council’s support, and the commitments made by the Vanuatu Government, the Games will proceed in December 2017. He wished all delegates a fruitful and successful meeting.

The Chairman thanked Cyrille Mainguy for his address and acknowledged that it had been a difficult journey thus far. He said the recent meetings with the Prime Minister had bridged the gap that existed in the preparations for the Games and that the Prime Minister and his Government were now working in support of the Council and the Vanuatu PGA to stage a successful Games. He wished the Vanuatu PGA the very best in its final eighteen months of preparations for the Games.

4. MINUTES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, PORT MORESBY, 12 JULY 2015

The Chairman advised that the minutes of the 12 July 2015 General Assembly were circulated electronically in advance of the meeting, both on 6 August 2015 and on 18 March 2016. Hard copies had also been made available to the meeting.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman asked that the minutes be taken as read and approved as a true record of the meeting. It was moved by Guam, seconded by Cook Islands, and approved by the meeting as a true record of the 2015 General Assembly.

5. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE 2015 GENERAL ASSEMBLY MINUTES

The Chairman asked the delegates if there was any business arising from the minutes they wished to raise. There being none forthcoming, it was formally recorded that there was no business arising from the minutes.

6. REPORTS

A. Executive Board Report

David Boyd (Secretary-General) presented the Executive Board Report (refer attached PowerPoint presentation), which included information on its key activities: the Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games and the Transfer Of Knowledge to Tonga 2019; oversight of future Games Organising Committees, including Vanuatu 2017 and Tonga 2019; consideration of the quadrennial Sport Program Review; managing the 2023 Pacific Games Bid process; and the preparation of the 2015 audited financial statements.

There were no questions arising from the Executive Board Report, which was then formally accepted by the meeting on a motion from Cook Islands and seconded by Papua New Guinea.

B. Treasurer’s Report

John Tierney (Treasurer) presented his report to the meeting (refer attached PowerPoint presentation and the copy of the audited 2015 financial statements distributed prior to the meeting on 14 April 2016). The report acknowledged that these were the first set of financial statements since the Council’s incorporation in Cook Islands on 20 January 2015. Following the Treasurer’s presentation on the audited financial statements, questions were invited from the floor.

Michael White (Northern Mariana Islands) asked for an explanation of the reported exchange losses of $121,000.

The Treasurer explained that these losses were effectively a book entry to recognise the impact the strong US dollar had on the value of the Australian and New Zealand dollar held term deposits as at the reporting date of 31 December 2015.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Jerome Kado (Fiji) asked whether the exchange losses affected the Council’s actual bank account holdings.

The Treasurer assured the meeting that the Australian and New Zealand dollar value of the terms deposits remained intact, but because the Council reported its financial statements in US dollars the exchange losses had to be acknowledged. He said most of the Council’s expenses were paid in Australian or New Zealand dollars, and so the strong US dollar would have a minimal impact on the Council’s daily operations.

Jerome Kado (Fiji) sought clarification on the Council’s incorporation and the issuing to each PGA of one $20 share in the company, Pacific Games Council Limited. He asked whether a dividend payment to the value of these shares was required.

The Treasurer said that the auditors had agreed with the Council’s treatment of the share issue, which was that one $20 share was issued to PGAs and it was paid for out of the Council’s administration expenses. PGAs were not required to directly pay the Council $20 for its share and therefore would not need to be reimbursed a $20 dividend.

With no further questions on the financial statements, the Treasurer moved that the 2015 audited financial statements be adopted by the meeting. Vanuatu seconded the motion, which was then approved unanimously.

The Treasurer then completed his presentation by reporting on the Executive Board’s updated budget review; the Executive Board’s recommended increase in the Council’s financial reserves from $700,000 (agreed to in 2015) to $740,000; and the $124,000 in Protocol 7 penalty fees yet to be paid by PGAs as a result of their sport entry withdrawals from the 2015 Pacific Games.

With no further questions, the Treasurer moved that the financial reserves be increased by $40,000 to $740,000. The motion was seconded by Federated States of Micronesia, and was then approved unanimously.

C. Marketing Committee Report

John Tierney (Marketing Committee Chairman) presented the Marketing Committee report (refer attached PowerPoint presentation), which included a report on its meeting in Port Moresby in September 2015 as part of the Transfer Of Knowledge to Tonga 2019, and an outline of the future opportunities to commercialize the Pacific Games brand.

With no questions forthcoming, the Chairman asked the meeting to formally adopt the Marketing Committee’s report, which it did unanimously by acclamation.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

D. Sports Committee Report

Marcus Stephen (Vice President and Chairman of the Sports Committee) presented the Sports Committee report (refer attached PowerPoint presentation), noting the Sports Program Review recommendations that would be presented under Agenda item #7.

The Vice President outlined the process of consultation with PGAs and Oceania Federations that was undertaken after the Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games and the subsequent deliberations of the Sports Committee last November to review the entire sports program as required under Article 23.6 of the Charter. He thanked the members of the Sports Committee for the large volume of work that it had completed to prepare the recommendations for the General Assembly.

With no questions forthcoming, the Chairman asked the meeting to formally adopt the Sports Committee’s report, which it did unanimously by acclamation.

E. Women In Sport

The Chairman invited Frida Delmau, Executive Board Member, to present to the meeting on Women in Sport. Frida Delmau updated delegates on the number of female PGA teams by sport, female Chefs de Mission, and female IF Delegates participating in the 2015 Pacific Games, as well as the number of events offered for women compared to men.

Frida Delmau said she welcomed the recommendation from the Sports Program Review to make Women’s Football a compulsory sport, so that all compulsory sports on the Games program would be offered to men and women. Her report was received by acclamation.

F. Athletes’ Representative Report

Ryan Pini (Athletes’ Representative) presented a report of his activities (refer attached PowerPoint presentation), noting his role on the ONOC Athletes’ Commission and his work on the PGC Sports Committee and Executive Board since his election in 2015.

The Athletes’ Representative said it was very pleasing that 45% of athletes had voted for the Athletes’ Representative candidates during the 2015 Pacific Games, compared with 33% during the 2011 Games. He thanked ONOC’s Voices of the Athletes program for organising a well located headquarters within the Athletes’ Village to facilitate voting. He said the Council would positively consider supporting athlete representatives from non-NOC members to attend future ONOC Athletes’ Commission meetings.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman thanked the Athletes’ Representative for his report, which was received by acclamation. He noted that the Athletes’ Representative had already qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Swimming and that he was also a candidate for the IOC Athletes’ Commission elections to be held during the Games. The Chairman wished the Athletes’ Representative every success in Rio.

7. CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSALS

A. Sports Program Review

The Chairman reiterated the remarks of the Vice President in his Sports Committee report; that the Sports Program Review was mandated by Article 23.6 of the Charter and that it was an extensive body of work. He said he hoped that delegates would support the recommendations, which had been carefully considered and ultimately supported by the Executive Board. He then asked the Executive Director to guide the meeting through each of the Sports Program Review proposals.

The Executive Director (refer attached PowerPoint presentation) referred delegates to the Sports Committee’s Sports Program Review recommendations paper, which was circulated on 15 January 2016 and presented in hard copy to each PGA at the meeting, along with a draft 2016 version of the PGC Charter, with the recommendations marked- up. He said the paper had eight chapters and suggested to the Chairman that the meeting consider each chapter separately.

The Chairman concurred with the proposal to consider each chapter separately.

Chapter 1 – Overview

The Executive Director explained that the Sports Committee’s key findings were:

 Port Moresby had hosted a very successful 2015 Pacific Games  The Charter was operating efficiently; major changes not recommended  Refinements were still needed to keep up with changing face of sports internationally, attract the best athletes, and keep the Games sustainable  Continue to place more emphasis on “adding value” to the athlete experience; e.g. qualifications, rankings points, given the high costs of travel and other events on offer  The Council must maintain an attractive sports program for the athletes, sponsors, media, general public and Governments who we need as hosts

With no comments or questions on the Overview, the Chairman asked the Executive Director to move on to Chapter 2.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Chapter 2 – The Pacific Games Sports Program

The Executive Director outlined the following recommendations from the Sports Committee’s review of the Pacific Games Sports Program, some of which would require amendments to Articles 23.1, 23.2 and 23.6 of the Constitution to take effect in 2023:

 Maximum 24 Sports program for Pacific Games; double the maximum 12 Sports permitted in the Pacific Mini Games program  Address sustainability, venue costs and delivery risks by working towards a Pacific Games of no more than 4,000 participants - to be achieved by reducing the maximum number of sports to 24 as a priority before imposing quotas or qualification standards  Trial a quota of 8 Men’s and 8 Women’s Basketball teams at the Tonga 2019 Games as recommended by FIBA Oceania, with teams selected through sub- regional championship tournaments  Emulate the Events Based Program of the IOC Vision 2020 where sustainable  Review with Oceania Federations events where lighter weight category and/or female entries are low, plus Athletics and Swimming programs with low entries in some distance and/or field events  Retention of the current 14 Compulsory Sports: - Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Golf, Judo, Rugby 7s, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball (Beach/Indoor), Va’a, Weightlifting  Gender equity in all Compulsory sports by promoting Women’s Football  Performance of Boxing and Va’a to be carefully monitored over the next Games cycle with an MOU in Boxing to be high priority  Seek to further build the majority of sports as compulsory (currently at 53%) for long term program consistency and marketability of the Games, rather than abandoning the concept of compulsory sports or reducing their number  Promote two Olympic Sports, Sailing and Triathlon, to compulsory list with Regulation 5.13 amended to allow a host PGA to offer a minimum of one rather than two Sailing disciplines  16 out of 24 sports, or two-thirds (66%) of the program, to be Compulsory sports moving further towards emulating international best practice of the IOC and CGF  Maximum 8 Optional Sports to be selected by PGAs bidding for 2023 Pacific Games, providing sufficient optional sports to cater for the specific requirements of host PGAs  Bodybuilding, Netball, Powerlifting & Shooting reviewed for promotion in 2020  By amendment to Article 23.6, future reviews of the compulsory sports program to consider, in addition to the number of PGA entries, “those sports capable of offering superior resource support to Games hosts, and/or those sports offering qualification pathways to international events especially Olympic sports; and/or a particular sport’s anti-doping compliance”.  As guidance, GOCs to provide 65% of beds for the ‘large’ PGAs

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman invited comments or questions on the recommendations.

Hugh Graham (Cook Islands) asked whether the trial quota in Basketball would be impacted by an invitation to Australia and New Zealand.

The Executive Director replied that FIBA Oceania had established a stage one qualification pathway to the FIBA World Championships for Pacific teams at the Tonga 2019 Pacific Games, and that the successful teams would join Australia and New Zealand in stage two as part of the wider Asia-Pacific qualification group. As such, the Sports Committee did not consider Basketball to be one of the priority sports to invite Australia and New Zealand for the 2019 Pacific Games.

Siosifa Takitoa Taumoepeau (Tonga) asked whether Tonga, as the host nation, would be guaranteed a place in the Basketball tournaments.

The Executive Director replied that he had discussed this question with FIBA Oceania, whose expectation was that Tonga would have a place in both the Men’s and Women’s events provided its National Federation remained in good standing.

With no further questions, the Chairman put each of the resolutions to the vote and each one was carried unanimously.

At 12.30pm, the Chairman then adjourned the meeting for lunch. He called the meeting back into order at 1.45pm and asked the Executive Director to continue with the Sports Program Review recommendations.

Chapter 3 – Australian and New Zealand Participation

The Executive Director outlined the following findings and recommendations from the Sports Committee’s review of participation by Australia and New Zealand:

 The trial inclusion of Australia and New Zealand in the 2015 Pacific Games be considered a success from the perspective of raising the standard of competition and the development of Pacific athletes.  Future invitations continue to be issued directly to the respective Australian and New Zealand NOCs under the same terms and conditions as Port Moresby – all relevant provisions of PGC Charter apply to the invited athletes.  Future invitations are issued for the Pacific Games event itself rather than in a concurrent event  Rather than consider Council membership, extend the trial as foreshadowed in the ONOC-PGC MOU, to facilitate the further gradual inclusion of Australia and New Zealand by targeting approximately eight Olympic sports for the 2019 cycle, with invitations issued in 2016 to allow for adequate preparation time

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

 Invitations be issued to Australia and New Zealand for the 2017 Pacific Mini Games in Rugby 7s and Weightlifting  Invitations be issued to Australia and New Zealand for the 2019 Pacific Games in Athletics (20 athletes and 5 officials each), Beach Volleyball, Football (NZL only), Judo, Rugby 7s, Taekwondo and Weightlifting  To achieve a balance in the competition and to maximise the benefits to PGA athletes, the Council will negotiate with the respective Oceania Federations to develop a priority target for the desired type of athletes to be invited from Australia/New Zealand – e.g. focus on particular events within the sport; or youth athletes; or regional athletes  Triathlon be the 8th and final sport for invitations unless Sailing is added to the 2019 program (Chapter 8 would refer), in which case Triathlon would join Table Tennis (Para Events) as a reserve  Prospective bidding PGAs for the 2023 Pacific Games be advised that Australian and New Zealand participation may be possible in a limited number of sports.

The Chairman said that he wanted to take all of these recommendations together in one resolution because ONOC had discussed the matter at its General Assembly on the previous day and it was a topic that was now very familiar to all PGAs. He said he hoped the resolution would obtain the unanimous support of the meeting.

Before inviting comments from the floor, the Chairman invited the President of ONOC, Dr Robin Mitchell, to comment on the proposal.

Dr Robin Mitchell said he was very pleased with the proposal. He noted that the proposal to include all of the members of Oceania in the Pacific Games had originally been developed in 2013 with all of the region’s partners; ONOC, OSFO and PGC. He said the trial in Port Moresby was very successful and should be continued. He said the four new sports being included in the program of invitations – Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Football and Judo – were sports where Pacific island athletes had shown they could be competitive with their Australian and New Zealand cousins.

Dr Robin Mitchell urged all PGC members to support the proposal as it would greatly assist the development of sport in Oceania.

The Chairman thanked Dr Robin Mitchell for his remarks and asked delegates if they had any questions or comments.

With no further comments or questions on the recommendations, the Chairman put the proposed invitations to Australia and New Zealand to the 2017 Pacific Mini Games (2 sports) and 2019 Pacific Games (8 sports) on the same terms and conditions as existed at the 2015 Pacific Games to the vote, and it was carried unanimously.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Michael Stanley (New Zealand) thanked the Council for extending invitations once again to the New Zealand Olympic Committee. He thanked Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Games Council for welcoming New Zealand to the 2015 Games. He said the athletes loved the experience and felt warmly accepted in Port Moresby. He requested that the New Zealand Olympic Committee receive the invitations as soon as possible so that planning could commence with the respective national federations. He also asked if it could be possible to have as many of these eight sports as possible to be Olympic Games qualification events.

Helen Brownlee (Australia) expressed the same sentiment of thanks as New Zealand. She referred to her comments at the 2015 General Assembly as to how enjoyable the experience was for the Australian team to compete in Port Moresby. She said Australia would be sensitive to the level of competition in the Pacific and select the athletes accordingly. They may not always be the best athletes and may on occasion be a development squad, but they would be the best athletes if Olympic Games qualification was at stake, which Australia hoped would be the case as far as possible,

The Executive Director replied that the Council would work closely with the Oceania Federations to obtain Olympic qualification or pathway status with as many of the eight sports as possible as it had in Port Moresby with Football, Taekwondo and Weightlifting.

The Chairman thanked the delegates for their support and expressed his hope that the Pacific Games would continue to attract further recognition from the IOC and the International Federations as the continental Games for Oceania.

Chapter 4 – Future of Pacific Mini Games

The Executive Director outlined the following recommendations from the Sports Committee’s review of the Pacific Mini Games:

 No consensus for major change to a Youth Games or to dissolve the Pacific Mini Games into three sub-regional Games  Retain Pacific Mini Games and not convert the event to a Pacific Youth Games  That Article 24.5 of the Charter be amended as underlined to give the Executive Board the flexibility to include a Youth component into the Pacific Mini Games:

“As far as possible the events and disciplines to be included in each of the sports chosen are to be the same as for the Pacific Games however the Executive Board shall have the right to vary the program of events following consultation with the Sports Committee and the IF, which may include designating some events, or a percentage of entries in some events, for youth age athletes”.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

 Sports Committee preferred organising Youth age competitions as a better first step than mandating a mix of junior and senior athletes within a sport.  Subject to agreement by the Vanuatu PGA and facilitation by the respective Oceania Federations, endorse a trial at the 2017 Pacific Mini Games whereby Golf, Table Tennis and Tennis will be organised as Youth age competitions.

The Executive Director explained that subsequent to this recommendation being published in January, the Council’s consultations with the Vanuatu PGA and the respective Oceania Federations had yielded the following progress:

 Golf – parties appeared to be in agreement  Table Tennis – Vanuatu Table Tennis Federation opposed; Oceania Table Tennis Federation open to concept at future Mini Games after 2017  Tennis – Vanuatu Tennis Federation and Oceania Tennis Federation opposed as other Oceania junior events would be taking place at the time of the Pacific Mini Games and more opportunities were actually needed for senior Tennis players in the region

The Chairman invited questions or comments from the floor on the recommendations.

Michael White (Northern Mariana Islands) asked that as the host nation of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games, the Northern Mariana Islands PGA be very closely consulted by the Executive Board before a decision was taken to add a youth component to those Games.

The Chairman replied that he agreed with the request and that no decisions would be taken without consulting the host PGA which had already been awarded the Games.

Ricardo Blas (Guam) reminded delegates of the same debate on sub-regional Games which occurred at the 2001 General Assembly in Norfolk Island. He reiterated the concerns of smaller PGAs, who wanted the opportunity to invite all PGAs to their hosting of a Pacific Mini Games. He said he appreciated the consultations process the Executive Board had instituted on the issue of youth events. Delegates had the time to address their concerns with the President and the Executive Board.

Antoine Boudier (Vanuatu) said that his PGA’s Executive Board needed more time to make a decision on this proposed trial for three sports at the 2017 Pacific Mini Games.

The Chairman replied that the Council would continue consultations with the Vanuatu PGA. He suggested the proposal for three youth age sports be retained, but that both parties should aim for at least two youth age sports and if that could not be achieved then it would have to be only one.

Antoine Boudier (Vanuatu) agreed with the proposition outlined by the Chairman.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Laurent Cassier (Nouvelle Caledonie) asked what age would be considered for athletes competing in youth events.

The Executive Director replied that it would be 15-18 years of age as per the IOC standard.

With no further questions or comments, the Chairman put each of the recommendations to a vote, and each one was carried unanimously.

The trial of three youth age sports at the Vanuatu 2017 Pacific Games was also approved unanimously, subject to the Executive Board making a final decision after further consultations with the Vanuatu PGA.

Chapter 5 – Athlete Eligibility and Entries

The Executive Director explained that the Sports Committee had acknowledged that there was no consensus to discard residency criteria or adopt IF eligibility rules across the board. He said the Sports Committee agreed that the Article 26.1d (iii) discretionary power for the Executive Board to utilise IF eligibility regulations to create qualifying pathways was working well and being used sparingly (6 sports in 2015). However, it had recommended an amendment to reduce the timeframe for exercising this power from two years before Games to 15 months before Games to provide the Executive Board with more flexibility to encourage IFs to organise a qualification event at the Games.

The Chairman invited comments from the floor on the recommendation to amend Article 26.1d (iii) and allow a 15 months before the Games deadline for the Executive Board to utilise an IF’s eligibility regulations. With no comments forthcoming, he put it to the vote and it passed unanimously.

The Executive Director moved to the Sports Committee recommendation for the retention of the 10 day eligibility “protest “window in Article 26.7 as the PGC lacked the resources to allow protests on eligibility through the Games. It was also recommended to retain the 45 days entry by name deadline in Article 26.4 as it could not be reduced any further given the “protest” rights in Article 26.7 and the requirement to ascertain residency and confirm all athletes as eligible 20 days before the Games. It was also recommended that late athlete entries remain prohibited as per Article 26.5.

Following the Executive Director’s summary of the “protest” provisions, the Chairman invited comments or questions from the floor.

Sir John Dawanincura (Papua New Guinea) said PGAs should have the right to protest at any time, including at the Games, as the integrity of competition could be compromised when ineligible athletes were known to be competing.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman put the retention of the ten day “protest” window to the vote and it passed with 20 votes in favour and one vote against. He then put to the vote the retention of the 45 athlete entry deadline and the continuing prohibition on late entries, and both passed unanimously.

The Executive Director then turned to the issue of Protocol 7 penalty fees for a PGA’s sport withdrawals. He said the Sports Committee recommended abolishing the penalty fees regime – as they had not worked to improve the accuracy of entries – and replacing them with up-front deposits to secure entries which would then be forfeited if a PGA’s sport withdraws or would be deducted from the per diem if the sport actually participates. He said this would be given effect by the proposed amendments to Protocols 7.7 - 7.10 as outlined in the draft Charter and the Sports Program Review recommendations paper.

The Chairman invited comments from the floor on the recommendations concerning Protocol 7 penalty fees.

Robert Graham (Cook Islands) said his PGA imposed a levy on each sport (code) prior to travel in case they withdrew; that way, Cook Islands PGA remained faithful to their entries or they paid the penalty fee immediately. However, he said to pay the up-front deposit at the numerical entries stage was very difficult as the sports may not have the money at that point.

Cyrille Mainguy (Vanuatu) agreed with Cook Islands. He said Vanuatu’s national federations would not be able to raise the deposits. Instead, they would have to rely on government assistance but that support was often rendered very late, just prior to the Game, and well after the numerical entries deadlines.

The Executive Director replied that this was a difficult issue but the wider interest was in helping the Games Organising Committees by providing more accurate entries data. At present, the data being submitted by some PGAs was wildly inaccurate and causing the GOC’s to commit valuable resources unnecessarily towards athletes and teams that do not, in the end, participate.

With no further comments or questions, the Chairman put the resolution to replace the Protocol 7 penalty fees with up-front deposits to the vote and with 12 votes in favour and 7 votes against, the resolution was carried.

Finally the Executive Director outlined the proposal to institute a “Pre-DRM” (Delegation Registration Meeting) by an amendment to Protocol 7.11:

“A pre-DRM in person, or through the use of technology, shall occur within five days after the further confirmation of entries 30 days before the Games “

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman invited comments from the floor on the recommendation to institute a Pre-DRM in Protocol 7.11. With no comments forthcoming, he put it to the vote and it passed unanimously.

Chapter 6 – Technical Officials

The Executive Director said that the Sports Committee had made the following recommendations concerning Technical Officials:

 That capacity in host countries and across the Pacific remained a weakness in most sports  Port Moresby 2015 GOC had paid all International Technical Officials travel costs, which was unsustainable for future hosts  That the Council would develop rigorous MOU agreements with each Oceania Federation to reduce a GOC’s exposure to these travel costs  That Protocol 16.1.c.4.d be amended to address the division of these travel costs with the following text: “Airfare costs will be divided between the OC and the International Federations as agreed with the Council”  That a “technical officials committee” be created with input from ONOC and OSFO; improve technical officials’ development

The Chairman put each of these recommendations to the vote, and each one passed unanimously.

Chapter 7 – Individual Sport Considerations

The Executive Director said that many Oceania Federations had made submissions to expand their event schedule in the Charter. He explained that the Sports Committee took a conservative approach to expanding the number of events in order to maintain sustainability and affordability of the Games. Only the most meritorious proposals were advanced, particularly those which enhanced gender equity and social inclusion, but only if strong evidence existed of sufficient entries being forwarded by PGAs.

For the reason of likely insufficient PGA entries, the Executive Director explained that the Sports Committee had rejected proposals to expand events in:

• Bodybuilding – more Women’s events • Rugby League 9s – Women’s event • Surfing – Stand-Up Paddling • Swimming – Para events

The Executive Director said that the Sports Committee had recommended the following amendments to the events schedule:

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

 Basketball • Add 3x3 format as an option with amendments to Regulation 7: four players per team and Regulation 9B: one official per team.

• That a future Games Organising Committee only be permitted to offer both formats if a quota operates in the 5-a-side format to control overall athlete numbers.

 Shooting • Add Teams event to all ISSF events in Regulation 5.14 and remove cap of maximum 9 athletes in Regulation 6.14, so as to be consistent with DTL/CPSA events

 Para Sport (Athletics & Table Tennis) • Amend Regulations 5.2 (Athletics) and 5.19 (Table Tennis) to require athletes to be “internationally classified”.

• “Results in competitions comprising athletes with different classifications to have an agreed table for results calculation”.

 Table Tennis • Regulation 6.19 amended to add one extra male and female entry for Para events.

• Offset by reduction in able-bodied entries from 5 men/5 women to 4 men/4 women.

 Sailing Sports Committee resolved to coordinate with ISAF/OSAF to modernize the events list and better align with international classes.

 Touch No changes recommended to Regulation 7 for composition of mixed teams, but ensure a rest day before mixed competition commences.

 Va’a Regulation 6.23 to be amended to allow a maximum 14 male and 14 female athletes.

With no comments or questions on any of these recommendations, the Chairman put each of these recommendations to the vote, and each one passed unanimously.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

At the conclusion of this part of the agenda at 3.00pm, the Chairman adjourned the meeting for afternoon tea. Upon resumption of the meeting at 3.20pm, the Chairman asked the Executive Director to continue with Chapter 8 of the Sports Program Review.

Chapter 8 - Adjustments to the Tonga 2019 Program

The Executive Director said that the Sports Committee had reviewed all sports with less than 6 independently obtained PGA entries at both the 2011 and 2015 Games, including Baseball, Softball, Hockey and Men’s Cricket. The recommendations were:

 1. That Tonga be relieved from its obligations to organise Baseball and Softball competitions:  Failure of Softball in Port Moresby  Likelihood Baseball will not get 6 PGA entries

 2. That Tonga be encouraged to add the compulsory Women’s Boxing and Rugby 7s disciplines to its program

 3. That if Women’s Boxing and Rugby 7s were included, Shooting and Sailing (in that order) be approved for addition to the 2019 program as requested by the Games Organising Committee and host PGA.

The Chairman invited comments on the recommendations.

Laurent Cassier (Nouvelle Caledonie) said that changing the sports program from what was presented in the Bid sent a bad message. PGAs vote for the host country on the basis of the sports program offered and to change it after the Bid process was not fair. He said Nouvelle Caledonie would abstain from the vote on changing the sports.

With no further questions or comments, the Chairman put each recommendation the vote. The deletion of Softball and Baseball was carried with 15 votes in favour, two votes against and one abstention. The addition of Women’s Boxing and Women’s Rugby 7s was carried unanimously. The addition of Shooting and Sailing to the program was carried with 20 votes in favour and one abstention.

Following the votes on the amendments to the Tonga 2019 sports program, the Chairman said that Nouvelle Caledonie had raised a very serious point about the bid process. He noted that the Bid Protocols in the Charter were amended in 2010 to require bidding PGAs to list their sports program in the Bid Documents so that all PGAs could make an informed vote between rival bids. Changing sports after the vote was a very complex matter and risked appearing improper in that it could be inferred that some sports were listed in the Bid Document solely in order to win votes.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman advised future bidding PGAs to carefully consider their sports program as the Council would set a very high standard for allowing any amendments after the awarding of the Games.

B. Other Proposals

The Chairman asked the Executive Director to guide the meeting through the Other Proposals to amend the Charter.

The Executive Director informed delegates that, as per the documentation circulated prior to the meeting, there were three sets of proposals under consideration, which were not part of the Sports Program Review, as they concerned non-sporting matters.

The first was the Executive Board’s proposed amendment to Bid Protocol 1.7 of the Charter for the introduction of a compliance bond to be paid by bidding PGAs to ensure the Host Contract was respected and valuable time not lost after the bid. He noted that the Executive Board had set the bond at $100,000 for 2023 Pacific Games bidding PGAs. The wording to be inserted into Protocol 1.7 was as follows:

“The PGA of each candidate country shall when furnishing the Bid document pay a bond, in the amount to be determined by the Executive Board, to be released back immediately to an unsuccessful candidate country and to be released back to the successful candidate country at the end of the Games upon the achievement of all milestones outlined in the contract including the formation of the Organising Committee and Audit and Governance Authority.”

With no questions from the floor, the motion to amend Protocol 1.7 was put to the vote by the Chairman and it passed unanimously.

The Executive Director then explained that the second set of proposed amendments, which had been generated by the Port Moresby 2015 Games Organising Committee and endorsed by the Executive Board, concerned aspects of the Pacific Games Village arrangements in the Games Protocols and Regulations. By amendment to Protocol 9.1, 9.3 and Regulation 12.1, it was proposed that the Village:

 should open 4 days (instead of 3 days) before the Opening Ceremony to allow more time for Delegation Registration Meetings with PGAs;  should open for a “maximum” 25 days - instead of ‘at least’ 25 days;  per diem should not be discounted 50% for those residing outside the Village as all participants should be encouraged to stay there; and  must have a minimum 3 meals per day, each with a minimum 3 hour session.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman, in turn, put each of these proposals to the vote. The first two proposals passed unanimously.

Concerning the proposed abolition of the discounted per diem, Robert Steffy (Guam) said that teams should have the right to live outside of the Village and pay a reduced per diem if the accommodation provided by the Games Organising Committee in the Village was not up to standard. This had occurred in the past.

The Chairman said that poor quality accommodation should be raised with the Executive Board to resolve with the Games Organising Committee.

Robert Steffy (Guam) said he agreed with the Chairman but added that such a solution was predicated on knowing well in advance of the delegation’s arrival that the accommodation would be of a worthy standard. Otherwise there would not be sufficient time to organise alternative accommodation.

The Chairman agreed and suggested that the Executive Director ensure that the pre- Delegation Registration Meeting process, which had been added to Protocol 7, include an allocation of accommodation within the Village so that PGAs could make their own assessments prior to their arrival at the Games.

The Chairman then put the proposal to eliminate the per diem discount to the vote, and with 17 votes in favour and one vote recorded against, it was declared carried.

The Chairman put the final proposal on meals to the vote and it passed unanimously.

The Executive Director then turned to the third set of proposed amendments, which was also generated by the Port Moresby 2015 Games Organising Committee and endorsed by the Executive Board, concerning the Pacific Games Relay.

The Executive Director explained that it was proposed to delete references to “torch” and “cauldron” from the Opening Ceremony Protocol 22.9 and references to “extinguishing the flame” from Closing Ceremony Protocol 24.11. These proposed amendments were in line with amendments made in 2010 to change perceptions of the Games Relay away from an Olympic-style “torch” towards more Pacific-style solutions.

With no questions from the floor, the motion to amend Protocols 22.9 and 24.11 was put to the vote by the Chairman and it passed unanimously.

The Chairman said that had completed all of the proposed Charter amendments.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Michael White (Northern Mariana Islands) was granted permission, through the Chair, to move two motions to formally adopt all of the resolutions which had been approved by the General Assembly. The motions read as follows:

1. Pursuant to Article 30.1, all proposed amendments to the Constitution as presented in the meeting documents and already passed by individual resolutions be adopted on a formal three-quarters majority vote.

2. Pursuant to Article 16.2.e, all proposed amendments to the Games management protocols and regulations as presented in the meeting documents and already passed by individual resolutions be ratified by a simple majority vote.

The Chairman asked for a seconder to the motions, which was provided by Vanuatu. He said 16 votes from the 21 members present was required in order to obtain the necessary three-quarters majority.

The Chairman then put the first motion to a vote. With no opposition recorded, he declared the first motion duly carried by the necessary three-quarters majority.

The Chairman then put the second motion to a vote. With no opposition recorded, he declared the second motion duly carried by the necessary simple majority.

8. ORGANISING COMMITTEE PROGRESS REPORTS

A. Port Moresby 2015 – Final Report

The Chairman invited the Chairlady of the Port Moresby 2015 Games Organising Committee, Emma Waiwai, and the Director of Sport, Tamzin Wardley, to present the final report of the 2015 Pacific Games.

Emma Waiwai presented the final report to each of the delegates in hard copy, which she said would serve as a memento of the 2015 Pacific Games. She said that CEO Peter Stewart sent his regards and thanks to all of the delegates for making the Games special.

Tamzin Wardley provided an overview of the financial report noting that the Games Organising Committee budget was $60 million (Australian Dollars) and the overall cost of the Games was over $400 million, when venue construction costs were added. She said all of the Games delivery organs were undergoing final audits of their accounts, but that it was likely that the host PGA would inherit a surplus of $7 million as its post- Games legacy. One important lesson was the value of prudent financial management, as the Games Organising Committee spent most of its budget in the final seven months.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman thanked Emma Waiwai and Tamzin Wardley for their presentation. He paid tribute to the Games Organising Committee, the host PGA, and the Venues, Infrastructure & Equipment Committee, each of whom had excelled in their areas of responsibility, particularly in the planning, delivery and management of the Games.

The Chairman acknowledged that there were serious challenges along the way, but ultimately Papua New Guinea had produced fantastic venues, which provided an enduring legacy opportunity for its future athletes, and an excellent Pacific Games. He said that Papua New Guinea had raised the bar for all future hosts of the Pacific Games.

The Chairman then invited Tonga 2019 to present its progress report, noting that the progress report from Vanuatu 2017 would be delivered on the following morning.

B. Vanuatu 2017

At the resumption of the meeting at 9.00am on Wednesday 11 May, the Chairman invited representatives of the Vanuatu 2017 Pacific Mini Games to present its report.

Mark Stafford (Chairman of the Vanuatu 2017 Pacific Mini Games Organising Committee) led the presentation alongside Antoine Boudier and Cyrille Mainguy, President and Secretary-General, respectively, of the Vanuatu PGA; as well as Joe Carlo, CEO of Vanuatu 2017; and Song Yang, the General Manager of the Chinese State Contractor, responsible for the construction of the Korman Stadium site.

Mark Stafford reported that work at the Korman Stadium site had commenced and that delegates would visit the site, as well as the new Convention Centre, later in the day. He also noted that a preliminary sports schedule had been prepared, excluding Cricket, which was deleted for insufficient PGA entries. He reported that the PGC was bringing Clint Flood, formally of Port Moresby 2015, to Port Vila to assist in the development of the sport by venue plan and the refinement of the Games operating plans and budgets.

Song Yang presented some photographs of the Korman Stadium plans and advised the meeting that the redevelopment would be completed and handed over by September 2017, three months before the commencement of the Pacific Mini Games.

Mark Stafford concluded the presentation by assuring delegates that the 2017 Pacific Mini Games had the support of the Vanuatu Government and the people of Vanuatu.

The Chairman thanked Mark Stafford and his team for their presentation, and expressed the Council’s confidence that preparations were finally on track. With no questions asked from the floor, the Chairman informed the delegates that they should take advantage of the opportunity to visit the venue sites at the conclusion of the meeting. The Chairman then moved to agenda item 9, the report from ORADO.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

C. Tonga 2019

Following the final report from Port Moresby 2015, the Chairman invited Tonga 2019 to present its progress report.

Siosifa Takitoa Taumoepeau (Secretary-General, Tonga PGA), presented a progress report on the preparations of the Tonga 2019 Games Organising Committee (refer attached PowerPoint presentation), which included the tentative scheduling of the Games from 12-26 July 2019, as well as a summary of the sport by venue plan. He thanked the General Assembly for agreeing to add Shooting and Sailing to the program.

The Chairman thanked Siosifa Takitoa Taumoepeau for his presentation. He said the Tonga 2019 Games Organising Committee was making good progress despite a difficult political environment and that preparations were now back on track after the Council’s recent visit. He expressed confidence that stakeholders, particularly the Government, more clearly understood their roles and responsibilities as a result of the visit. He noted however that progress would continue to be monitored very closely.

D. Northern Mariana Islands 2021

Michael White (President, Northern Mariana Islands PGA) informed the meeting that the Audit and Governance Authority had held its inaugural meeting, chaired by local businessman Jerry Tan, and that he had been appointed as the chairman of the Games Organising Committee. He added that Tony Rogolofoi had been appointed as the Director of Sports, and Kurt Barnes, Vice President of the PGA and chairman of the 1969 Micronesian Games, had been appointed as chair of the Infrastructure, Facilities, and Equipment Committee.

Michael White advised the meeting that preparations for the 2021 Pacific Mini Games had been setback following a super typhoon in August 2015, but that the contract for the new athletics track had been signed with grant monies from the US Government and the CNMI Visitors Authority and that completion was expected in late 2016. He said the remaining capital works priority would be for showers and toilets at the schools designated for the Athletes’ Village and that community development grants from the US Government should be available for this work. He said the 2021 Pacific Mini Games remained on track.

The Chairman thanked Michael White for his report. He said he was pleased that capable people were involved in the organisation of the Games, and that he would endeavour to make a visit to Saipan later in the year to assist local stakeholders with the preparations.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

9. ORADO REPORT

Following the presentation from Vanuatu 2017 under agenda item 8B, the Chairman invited Natanya Potoi-Ulia, Manager of the Oceania Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (ORADO), to report to the meeting.

Natanya Potoi-Ulia presented a demonstration of the process athletes undertake when selected for doping control testing. She also provided an update on the athlete outreach conducted by the Voices of the Athletes program at the 2015 Pacific Games.

With no questions from the floor, the Chairman thanked Natanya Potoi-Ulia for her report and congratulated both ORADO and the Voices of the Athletes program for the excellent work they had undertaken in Port Moresby during the 2015 Pacific Games.

The Chairman then moved to agenda item 11, the election of the PGC Executive Board.

10. OSFO REPORT

Following the presentation from Michael White under agenda item 8D, the Chairman invited Chet Gray, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania (OSFO), to present a report to the meeting.

Chet Gray presented his report (see attached PowerPoint presentation), which contained three key recommendations:

1. Re-establishment of the tripartite meetings between PGC/ONOC/OSFO, with two representatives from each organisation to meet once every six months.

2. ONOC, PGC and OSFO Assemblies and associated workshops to be conducted collectively to achieve economical efficiencies, consolidation of resources and effective outcomes.

3. OSFO to provide assistance with the Pacific Games bidding applications (prior to submission) to ensure accurate and up to date sport information regarding capability and capacity for sport to assist with delivery of the event.

Isala T Isala (Tuvalu) asked whether PGAs like Tuvalu could work directly with OSFO to strengthen the performance of its National Federations and to improve their ability to communicate.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Chet Gray welcomed the question and said that OSFO’s doors were always open to communication with PGAs.

The Chairman thanked Chet Gray for his report and said he agreed with all three of the OSFO recommendations and would endeavour to take them forward. He also passed on the Council’s thanks to Yvonne Mullins, OSFO’s representative on the PGC Sports Committee, for her substantial input into the Sports Program Review.

At 5.00pm, the Chairman then adjourned the meeting for the day and asked delegates to reassemble at 9.00am the following day for the resumption of the meeting.

11. ELECTION OF PGC EXECUTIVE BOARD

Following the presentation from ORADO under agenda item 9, the Chairman moved to the election of the PGC Executive Board.

The Chairman outlined the four Executive Board positions to be elected at the meeting in accordance with Article 15.1 and 15.2 of the Constitution. He said his preference was to elect the office bearers in the order in which they appeared in the Constitution: President; Vice President – Sport; Vice President – Marketing; and finally Vice President – Audit & Finance. He then asked the Executive Director to guide the meeting through the nominations and election process.

The Executive Director referred to Article 15.3 and notified the meeting of the nominees for the various Vice President positions which had been duly accepted 90 days prior to the meeting. Rounds of balloting would be conducted for each position, with the candidate obtaining the least number of votes eliminated until one candidate reached a majority, which would be 11 votes. In relation to the position of President, he said that only one nomination had been received, and Article 15.4.2 deemed that a sole nominee be declared duly elected. He asked the Vice President to make the declaration.

The Vice President declared Vidhya Lakhan (Fiji) duly elected for a new term of office and congratulated him on his re-election to the position of President. Via a sustained round of applause, the meeting affirmed the President’s re-election by acclamation.

The Chairman thanked the meeting for its support and stated that it would be a great honour to serve as President for a further four years.

The Chairman announced that three scrutineers would assist in the counting of ballots: Lord Feleti Sevele (Tonga), Mr Mark Peters (Gold Coast 2018) and Mr Chet Gray (OSFO).

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman invited the four candidates for the position of Vice President – Sport to speak for a few minutes in support of their candidacy.

Robert Graham (Cook Islands), Marcus Stephen (Nauru) and Emma Waiwai (Papua New Guinea) all did so, whilst Tauhiti Nena (Tahiti Nui) withdrew from the election stating that he wished to focus on the 2023 Pacific Games, for which his PGA was bidding.

Following the first round of voting, the Chairman stated that a second ballot would be required and that with the lowest number of votes, Emma Waiwai had been eliminated.

Following the second round of voting, the Chairman declared that Marcus Stephen had been re-elected to the Executive Board.

The Chairman then invited the candidates for Vice President – Marketing, Laurent Cassier (Nouvelle Caledonie) and Charles Tauziet (Tahiti Nui), to address the meeting.

Following presentations from both candidates, voting was conducted and the Chairman declared Laurent Cassier duly elected.

The Chairman then invited the three candidates for the position of Vice President – Audit & Finance to address the meeting. Frida Delmau (Palau) and Tamzin Wardley (Papua New Guinea) made presentations, however Charles Tauziet (Tahiti Nui) withdrew his nomination.

Following one round of voting, the Chairman declared Tamzin Wardley duly elected.

12. 2023 PACIFIC GAMES – BID PRESENTATIONS

The Chairman noted that the Council had undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of the two bids to host the 2023 Pacific Games. He described both bids as excellent. He explained that as a result of the drawing of lots conducted at the ONOC office on 30 March, Tahiti Nui would make the first presentation, to be followed by Solomon Islands. Both presentation teams had a maximum of thirty minutes, which would be followed by a short period for delegates to ask questions.

The Chairman invited Tahiti Nui to make its bid presentation.

Tahiti Nui’s bid was presented by the Government of Tahiti Nui’s Minister of Sport, the Hon. Nicole Sanquer-Fareata; the French Ambassador to Vanuatu, H.E. Alain du Boispéan; the President of the Tahiti Nui PGA, Tauhiti Nena; and representatives of the Tahiti Nui PGA, Gordon Barff and Johan Bouit.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

With no questions asked from the floor, the Chairman thanked Tahiti Nui for their presentation and invited Solomon Islands to make its bid presentation.

Solomon Islands’ bid was presented by the Prime Minister, the Hon. Manasseh Sogavare; the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Jeremiah Manele; the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Manasseh Maelanga; the President of the Solomon Islands’ PGA, Martin Rara; and Vice President of the Solomon Islands’ PGA, Ronald Bei Talasasa.

In the course of his presentation, the Prime Minister offered for the Government of Solomon Islands to organise airline hubs for the travelling delegations and to pay for the first 50 airline tickets for each PGA delegation.

The Chairman thanked Solomon Islands for their presentation but noted that it had breached Bid Protocol 1.3, which he read to the meeting for the record:

The Bid document shall contain all that the bidding PGA has to offer. No change shall be allowed to the bid documents or the offers made thereunder other than those allowed under Protocol 1.10.

The Chairman noted that the offer of 50 free air tickets per PGA was not contained in the Solomon Islands Bid proposal and as such must be disregarded by the delegates when they were casting their votes.

Hugh Graham (Cook Islands) asked whether the offer from Solomon Islands could be activated in the event that it won the right to host the Games.

The Chairman said that an offer in contravention of the Bid Protocol must be disregarded and that it would be unfair to activate the offer after the election.

With no further questions from the floor, the Chairman thanked both PGAs for their presentations and wished them luck in the election. He also thanked both PGAs for organising excellent cocktail receptions on the previous evening.

13. 2023 PACIFIC GAMES – ELECTION OF HOST PGA

Following the bid presentations, the Chairman ordered the first round of voting to commence, and noted that a simple majority of 11 votes would be required for victory.

The Chairman announced that in a very close result, the PGA of Solomon Islands had been elected to host the 2023 Pacific Games. He congratulated Solomon Islands and offered commiserations to Tahiti Nui.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman then adjourned the meeting temporarily to allow the President of the Solomon Islands’ PGA and the Deputy Prime Minister of Solomon Islands to join him to sign the Host Agreement.

14. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS

Upon resumption of the meeting, the Chairman asked for a motion to order the destruction of all ballot papers for the Executive Board and 2023 Host PGA elections.

It was so moved by Guam, seconded by American Samoa, and passed unanimously.

The Chairman then delivered Meritorious Service Awards in recognition of the outstanding contribution to the Council made by the outgoing Treasurer, Mr John Tierney (2003-2016); by the outgoing Secretary-General, Mr David Boyd (2007-2016); and by Mr James Tobin, the former Secretary-General (2003-2007) and Vice President (2007-2012).

Each of the Meritorious Service Award recipients expressed their thanks to the Council for the opportunity to serve the Pacific Games movement and wished the membership well in the exciting years ahead.

The Chairman invited delegates to raise any items of additional business.

Hugh Graham (Cook Islands) offered congratulations to the newly elected Executive Board members as well as to Solomon Islands, and he commiserated with his cousins in Tahiti Nui. He referred to Article 15.2 of the Constitution, which stated that each of the elected representatives of the Executive Board must originate from a different PGA. He said this clause had placed the Cook Islands PGA in a very difficult position during the nominations process for these elections as it had two excellent potential nominees and were forced into deciding between them. He said he understood the origins of this clause, when the Executive Board was smaller and met less frequently. However, in the Council’s new era of being a modern corporate entity, this clause needed to be reviewed for amendment at the next General Assembly so that the membership could be served by the best possible candidates, wherever they originated from.

Ricardo Blas (Guam) acknowledged and congratulated the new Executive Board team. He said the organisation had progressed very professionally in recent years and he commended Treasurer John Tierney for his work to make so many positive changes. Sometimes delegates disagree with the changes but all members share a pacific attitude towards the work of improving the Council and the Pacific Games. He congratulated Solomon Islands and offered commiserations to Tahiti Nui.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Turning to his role as ONOC Secretary-General, Ricardo Blas advised the meeting that all Council members, both NOCs and non-NOCs, were invited to take part in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan. He said President Mitchell was working on a formal agreement with Turkmenistan for the inclusion of all members as well as to seek assistance for flight, accommodation and per diem expenses.

Milton Bradley (Norfolk Island) advised the meeting that a Norfolk Island athlete had just won the Women’s Singles title at the Lawn Bowls World Championships in Australia for a second successive year. The meeting offered warm applause for the achievement.

Soakimi Polelei (Wallis and Futuna) commended the Chairman and the incoming Executive Board members on their election. He noted the retirement of the French- speaking Secretary-General and asked if more effort could be made in future to produce more of the Council’s key documents in French. He then offered a suggestion that unsuccessful applicants to host the Pacific Games should be provided with the opportunity to organise the following edition of the Games.

The Chairman thanked each of the delegates for their interventions and he said their concerns would be carefully noted. Before concluding the meeting, he invited the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation to address the delegates, and expressed his pleasure that she had taken the time to visit Vanuatu and attend the second day of the General Assembly.

Louise Martin (Commonwealth Games Federation) thanked the Chairman for the invitation to attend the General Assembly. She had learnt a lot and would be guided in her role as CGF President by the way in which the General Assembly had conducted its business as a true family. She commended the Council for being committed to sport and the athletes.

Louise Martin congratulated Solomon Islands on its victory and offered commiserations to Tahiti Nui, whilst expressing sympathy for the view of Wallis and Futuna’s delegate concerning losing bidders being viewed positively for hosting the next edition of the Games.

15. NEXT MEETING AND CONCLUSION

The Chairman thanked the delegates for their attention and their work over the past two days. He said a lot of key decisions had been taken which would impact on the Pacific Games movement for years to come. He paid tribute to the work of the Sports Committee in producing the Sports Program Review, and thanked the Vice President for his leadership in that process.

Draft Minutes of the Pacific Games Council General Assembly: 10-11 May 2016 Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Chairman also praised the outgoing members of the Executive Board, John Tierney and David Boyd, who together with James Tobin had made a great contribution to the work of the Council. He thanked them for sharing his vision of better serving the PGA members and taking the management of the Pacific Games to a professional level.

The Chairman welcomed the incoming members of the Executive Board, Laurent Cassier and Tamzin Wardley, and asked them to uphold the tradition of making decisions in the best interests of the Council as a whole. As President, he promised to continue to work hard to bring the whole tribe along as future changes are considered. He also promised to continue to focus on the development of sport and to support the athletes.

The Chairman thanked the host Vanuatu PGA for all of their support in organising the meeting, and he commended ONOC for the tremendous support it had provided through its support programs and its staff on hand to assist with the General Assembly. He also thanked the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) staff for their excellent interpretation services and the Warwick Le Lagon hotel for the meeting facilities.

The Chairman wished all delegates a safe flight home and he looked forward to welcoming them to Vanuatu in December 2017 for the tenth Pacific Mini Games.

Antoine Boudier (Vanuatu) thanked the Chairman for his remarks. He said it was a pleasure to host the PGC, ONOC and OSFO General Assemblies. It was a model for the future to maximise the interactions between sports administrators. He also thanked ONOC, SPC and Warwick Le Lagon for their support and he looked forward to welcoming the delegates back to Vanuatu again in December 2017 with their athlete delegations.

With no further business, the Chairman advised that the next meeting would be held in Port Vila on Sunday 10 December 2017 during the 10th Pacific Mini Games. He declared the meeting closed at 12.45pm.