SAMOA 2015 COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES 5 – 11 SEPTEMBER 2015, APIA POST GAMES REPORT December 2015 1 1. FOREWORD 2 2. ORGANISATION & ADMINISTRATION After encountering some difficulties earlier in the preparatory process, the Government of Samoa was asked to intervene and accordingly Cabinet decided in July 2013 to overhaul the organisation and preparations for the V Commonwealth Youth Games scheduled for Apia, Samoa from 5 - 11 September 2015 and to recruit a full-time chief executive to lead and coordinate Samoa’s preparations. Organisation Structure & Organising Committee To assure the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) of the Samoan government’s commitment and ensure the full cooperation of all sectors of Government, sports, business and the general public, a new Organising Committee (OC) was established with the Prime Minister as Chairman, the Minister of Education, Sports & Culture as Vice Chairman and a Board of twelve Directors comprising heads of various relevant government ministries, the President of Samoa’s Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) and heads of business organisations with sporting experience. These Board members also headed working subcommittees on key areas ranging from sports operations, communications & technology, medical services, transport & catering to legal services. To provide the Organising Committee Board an independent legal standing allowing it to operate freely and effectively, the Commonwealth Games 2015 Company Limited was registered under local law as a private company with the government of Samoa fully funding its shares and operation. Office & Staff To lead and coordinate actual work on all aspects of the preparations, a Chief Coordinator was appointed by Cabinet to head a small Secretariat and be part of the OC Board. He immediately took up post on 16 July 2013 and set up office on the same floor as the Prime Minister and Chairman for easy and free access to him regarding operational and urgent decision making given the compressed timelines now available. After a brief period of establishment and consolidation, the Chief Coordinator progressively recruited staff according to need and budgetary realities. A Finance & Administration Manager, an Executive Officer and a Sponsorship and Marketing Coordinator were engaged in 2014 while a second Executive Officer, a Transport Officer and an Assistant, and a Games Results Manager were brought on board in 2015 closer to Games time. Two volunteer sport administration interns from Canada also provided valuable support to the Secretariat as Games time approached. One year ahead of the event, Samoa’s Games organisation and preparations also benefited from the recruitment, under Australian bilateral assistance, of a very experienced International Games Advisor. The assistance also contributed to sport technical support volunteers travelling to Samoa a few weeks prior to the Opening Ceremony as well as the Australian Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games personnel helping out during the Games. 3 A few weeks before the Games, most of the Secretariat’s sports operational staff and volunteers relocated to the Tuana’imato Sports Facilities Complex and operated from the Games Operations Centre and after the Games moved back to the main office in Apia. F Vitolio Lui Tuala Falani Ferila Lokeni- Moira J. Lassen Sally D. Grevel Angela M. Ula Chan Tung Lepa International Executive Executive Chief Games Advisor Officer Officer Coordinator Manager Manager Marketing & Finance & CGA Relations CGA Relations CGA Relations Sponsorship Administration Manager – Manager – Manager – Asia Africa & Europe & & Americas Caribbean Oceania Volunteers As with all international multi-sport events of this nature, the Samoa2015 Games relied on a competent volunteer force, some 1,300 strong, who were intimately involved in all aspects of Samoa2015 – sport, ‘village’ operations, Games operations, transport, catering, VIP and Team liaison. The Samoan Public Service volunteered senior public servants to lead teams of young volunteers in more critical posts such as VIP and Team liaison. Budget From its reconstitution in mid-2013, the government of Samoa has appropriated SAT$11.8M for the Games preparations and operations. This would be sufficient with sponsorship and other income to cover the anticipated cost of SAT$14.58M of the Samoa2015 Games. 3. SPONSORSHIP To help a small developing island state finance such a large international multi-sport undertaking, Samoa needed the support and help of the community in general and the business community in particular. The sponsorship campaign was formally launched by the Prime Minister and Chairman of the OC himself in January 2015. To market this and the Games in general, Government enacted special legislation to provide tax relief to businesses that donate to the Games equivalent to the value of their contributions. 4 And as part of its sponsorship strategy, the OC adopted a scheme consisting of five sponsorship levels based on the value of the sponsorship contribution either in money or in kind with corresponding benefits in advertising, promotion, privileged access to venues, presentation of medals and other privileges. For a small community, 41 companies ranging from the biggest to small family traders responded positively with what they could afford. While the Samoan government still had to meet the bulk of the budget, the community’s response was an indication of wide support and enthusiasm for the event and its benefits for the nation and the development of its youthful population. 4. ACCOMMODATION Athletes and Team Officials Although the preferred mode of accommodation for athletes in international multi-sport events such as this is a single ‘village’ where all stay, socialise and interact, Samoa, as a small island nation with limited resources and facilities, could not provide this. However, to incorporate as much as possible the ‘village’ benefits and atmosphere, Samoa opted for the conversion of two of Apia’s largest colleges into ‘village’ type accommodation with the balance accommodated at various hotels within an 8km radius of central Apia. To create a 3* type accommodation standard at the two colleges, the OC had to spend significant expense to repair, upgrade and convert the colleges into comparable accommodation and facilities. The OC believed the resulting improvements to the schools would be a positive legacy of the Games to Samoa’s youth and their educational and sporting development making the expense worthwhile. To be fair to all and ensure equal treatment among CGAs in the allocation of accommodation among the three venues, every effort was made to fit and match room configuration at the various types of accommodation with the number and gender split in CGA entries. Samoa College Village Samoa College is located about 1.5km from Apia Park, sports precinct 1, which hosted Athletics, Rugby 7s and Tennis and 5.5km from the Tuana’imato Sports Facilities Complex, sports precinct 2, where Aquatics, Archery, Boxing, Lawn Bowls, Squash, Weightlifting, the Games Operations Centre, Media Centre and Dining Hall were situated. This ‘village’ hosted nine CGAs from all six regions of the Commonwealth with a resident total of about 327 athletes and team officials. Breakfast was cooked and served on site every morning. Laundry and daily cleaning services were also provided. It also had a medical clinic and general service office. Pesega LDS College Village Pesega ‘village’ on the other hand is about 2km from Tuana’imato and 4km from Apia Park in the opposite direction. Pesega ‘village’ hosted 31 CGAs also from all six regions that made up a total of 280 resident athletes and team officials. 5 Hot breakfast was also cooked and served on site for residents. Laundry and daily cleaning services were likewise provided. And like the Samoa College ‘village’ it had its own medical clinic and a general service office that was open 24/7. Hotels The balance of 706 athletes and team officials from 25 CGAs were accommodated in 18 hotels in close proximity to town and the two sports precincts again allocated on the basis of matching available space with team configurations. International Technical Officials The OC also arranged and paid for accommodation of the nine (9) Technical Delegates (TD) and the 158 international technical officials (ITO) needed to manage and run the sporting competitions. Seven (7) hotels separate from those where the teams were accommodated were used for the ITOs. The TDs were accommodated at the CGF Flagship Hotel as their status require. Games Family The Games Family comprising the CGF Executive Board and Secretariat plus the CGA senior leadership of approximately 96 were accommodated together with the nine Technical Delegates at the Tanoa Tusitala, the CGF Flagship Hotel and two other top hotels nearby. 5. LOCAL TRANSPORT To ensure the efficient movement of visiting teams as well as the convenience and comfort of our guests, Samoa hired 370 vehicles comprising of large colourfully decorated buses (26-33 seats), vans (6 – 15 seats), SUVs, sedans, and utility pick-up trucks (for luggage and sports equipment). Teams were assigned self-managed vehicles with dedicated drivers commensurate with their team size from arrival to departure. Separate vehicle fleets were used to provide T2 transport for Games Family, Technical Officials, a shuttle service, arrivals and departures, Opening and Closing ceremonies, and vehicles on standby at the ‘pool’ in case of urgent or unforeseen need. The arrangement by all indications met