Chet Gray, the secretary general of OSFO, spoke out in support to replace the existing Pacific Games with an all inclusive multisport event for the Oceania region.

"I'm all for it, it should have happened years ago," he said.

"The region is different and so vast and we have to rationalise and consolidate so by including Australia and New Zealand it'll lift standards of competition in the Pacific.

"The Pacific Games could become the Oceania Games."

According to ONOC President Robin Mitchell, discussions have been ongoing for some time over a true continental Games for the region, with Oceania being the only region not to host such an event.

"We are the only region in the Olympic family that does not have a continental Games," he said.

"A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is on the table between ONOC and the PGC (Pacific Games Council)."

About 17 delegates at the ONOC General Assembly are thought to be signing an MoU to support the expansion of the Pacific Games into a continental Games
for Oceania ©Getty Images



It is thought that 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) signed an MoU during the ONOC General Assembly today, giving their support to the Pacific Games becoming the continental Games.

There have been some fears over an expansion of the Pacific Games, in which participation is exclusive to countries from around the South Pacific, to a larger continental Games in recent years, with opposition found mainly through the two largest Pacific Island countries, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

More than 20 regional sporting federations who are members of OSFO were in Guam for the OSFO Annual Assembly, which is held in conjunction with the ONOC Annual General Assembly.

Meetings and workshops have been ongoing throughout the week at the Leo Palace Resort as part of the ONOC General Assembly.

One of the major workshops, supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), covered good governance and focused on the governance structures of each of the International Federations in attendance at the meeting.

During this workshop, representatives from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia made presentations on their governance structures and agreed to share their knowledge and experiences with colleagues from around the Oceania region.

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