While there just 14 more days before the official opening of the Pacific Games in PNG next month, the Pacific Games Council Chairman has announced that the government of PNG is confident about their preparations to host this huge Pacific event, and they will be making sure all the athletes from different Pacific nations will be in a “safe environment”, under the care of the people and the government of PNG.

Samoa News has received calls and concerns from some of the local sports federations about the safety of our athletes who are now preparing for the Pacific Games.

One sports federation representative told Samoa News that there has been a lot of news from PNG this month about foreigners that have been killed in PNG by “some armed people” from other PNG tribes, and he's now concerned about the safety of our athletes.

Yet another concern from local sports federations expressed to Samoa News is the topic of health issues for those traveling to PNG.

Coffa told Samoa News that they will be sending out an information packet about health concerns for travelers, and in the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website does have recommendations for those planning to travel to PNG.

In general some of those concerns and recommendations are:

Hepatitis A: CDC recommends this vaccine because you can get hepatitis A through contaminated food or water in Papua New Guinea, regardless of where you are eating or staying.

Typhoid: You can also get typhoid through contaminated food or water in Papua New Guinea. CDC recommends this vaccine for most travelers, especially if you are staying with friends or relatives, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or if you are an “adventurous eater.”

Hepatitis B: You can get hepatitis B through sexual contact, contaminated needles, and blood products, so CDC recommends this vaccine if you might have sex with a new partner, get a tattoo or piercing, or have any medical procedures.

Malaria: Talk to your doctor about how to prevent malaria while traveling. You may need to take prescription medicine before, during, and after your trip to prevent malaria, especially if you are visiting low-altitude areas.

HIGHLY SKILLED WORK FORCE

According to the Pacific Games websites, the government of PNG is now working together with the Pacific Games Council for the safety of all the athletes from all Pacific nations who will take part in the XV Pacific Games next month.

According to the website, over 150 National Guard and staff from around the country will be part of the forces working with the PNG government to protect athletes and visitors during the games.

PNG GOVERNMENT IS CONFIDENT OF SAFETY OF ATHLETES

The Pacific Games Council Chairman also said in a statement on the website that Port Moresby is ready to host the Pacific Games, with the opening ceremony to be held at the Sir John Guise stadium on Saturday, July 4.

According to the official program, the Pacific Games Organizing Committee has added an additional program into the Games schedule — to have pastors opening and closing the Pacific Games with prayers.

The 2015 Pacific Games Pastoral Care Program under the games theme, “Unity is the name of our Games,” was launched on Tuesday in Port Moresby this week — letting all the athletes know that their safety is their main priority.

There will be pastors available before, during and after the games to pray for the contingents of all 24 countries participating in the 2015 Pacific Games from July 4-18.

The Committee believes that while there are several tribes in PNG that could cause problems, foreign athletes should not fear anything, because the government and the churches are now standing together to protect everyone during and after the games.

The American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) chairman, Victor Langkilde told Samoa News last week that he’s confident about the safety of all athletes from the Pacific nations and he believes that the safety of all athletes will be the PNG government’s top priority.

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FOR AMERICAN SAMOA ATHLETES

The Pacific Games Council believes that the four Pacific nations that did not win medals at the XIV Pacific Games in New Caledonia in 2011—which included American Samoa— will improve their performance at the XV Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea next month.

In a press release from the Pacific Games Council Chairman this week, Mr. Vydhya Lakhan said, “After reviewing our latest records from severals sports federations in the region, we believe that our other Pacific nations such as Marshall Islands; Norfolk Island, Tokealu and American Samoa will improve their ranks and performance in next month’s Pacific Games in PNG.”

In keeping with Lakhan’s comments, Samoa News asked for an overall review from the different sports federations at the Pacific Games.

Paul Coffa, the General Secretary for the Oceania Weightlifting Federation (OWF) told Samoa News that based on the results they received from our local Weightlifting Association, he believes that our weightlifting team will return home with medals.

Coffa went on to say that another benefit for the American Samoa weightlifting team for the upcoming Pacific Games next month, is the presence of two local lifters from the Territory who have been attending scholarship training at the OWF Training Institute in New Caledonia for over three months now.

According to Coffa, our two local weightlifters, Apineru Vaoga and Tanumafili Jungblut are in good form at the Training Institute, and they are ranked in the Top 3 overall in the Pacific region from each of the divisions in which they are competing.

Around 140 athletes and officials will be representing American Samoa at the Pacific Games in PNG next month.