Ensures safety and success of 2023 Pacific Games with $17 million commitment and personnel deployments, strengthening diplomatic ties and regional collaboration.
Australia is supporting the Solomon Islands in ensuring the safe and successful hosting of the 2023 Pacific Games through the $17 million Pacific Games Partnership and the deployment of additional personnel, as per the request of the Solomon Islands Government. The 2023 Pacific Games, one of the region’s premier events, will bring together 5,000 athletes, officials, and support staff from 24 Pacific teams. The event is scheduled to take place in Honiara from November 19 to December 2, 2023.
As part of this commitment, Australia will send approximately 100 additional Australian Federal Police (AFP) personnel to join over 50 colleagues already present in the Solomon Islands as part of the Solomons International Assistance Force (SIAF). The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will further support this deployment with 350 personnel, assisting in security, logistics, and various support roles. Working under the leadership of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), the AFP and ADF personnel will collaborate with partners from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand to ensure the safety and security of the event.
Australia’s Pacific Games Partnership aims to leave a lasting legacy in the Solomon Islands, with nearly $17 million in direct support, including upgrades to seven schools and strengthened ties with Australian sporting institutions.
Highlighting Australia’s long-term commitment to sports development in the Pacific, a 75-strong Australian team will participate in events such as athletics, archery, boxing, and weightlifting, with some competitions serving as qualifiers for the Paris Olympics in certain sports.
What the Australian Leaders are saying
Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP, stated, “Australia and the Solomon Islands have a deep and enduring history, and we’re proud to continue working together under our Bilateral Security Treaty, and with Pacific partners, to support the hosting of a safe and secure Pacific Games. The additional AFP and ADF deployment builds our longstanding security partnerships across the Pacific.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, remarked, “The Pacific Games demonstrates the shared love of sport across the Pacific. We hope that the Games will be an inspiration for people of all ages, gender, and those with disability, to enjoy and participate in sports across the Pacific.”
Acting Attorney-General, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, emphasized, Building on the AFP’s long-standing and well-established partnership with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, the AFP has been working closely with the RSIPF to build capability ahead of the Pacific Games to deliver a safe and successful event. “We are proud to have the AFP supporting this significant event, standing side-by-side with not only the RSIPF but police counterparts from other Pacific countries, including Papua New Guinea.”
Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP, noted, the Games’ theme of ‘Challenge, Celebrate, Unite’ will bring together athletes and communities as they celebrate the achievements of the Pacific’s sporting talent. “I thank and congratulate Solomon Islands for hosting this important event which brings us together both on and off the field.”
Minister for Sport, the Hon Anika Wells MP, added, “The Pacific Games will be a brilliant exhibition of athleticism, inclusion and competition and provide another example of how our journey to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is about more than just Australia. We wish all athletes and the organisers a successful Pacific Games.”
Source: AHC
