PORT VILA, (RNZI) —- The team preparing for the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu next year says it will put preparations on hold if there are more problems over funding.
This comes as the Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee Tuesday received assurances from the prime minister’s office that a freeze on their funding had been lifted.
The President of VASANOC, Antoine Boudier, said this was some relief, but he wanted assurances there wouldn’t be further freezes.
He said the government’s Financial Intelligence Unit was behind a stop on their funding in October which meant VASANOC could not meet basic expenses.
Boudier said they were sitting down with government officials and he said without a firm commitment of no more freezes on the funding, VASANOC will put the Games on hold.
“We are now 362 or 363 days from the opening. We have got full operations working, we have got a lot of orders, a lot of commitments to do and we cannot work in those conditions, because at any time we can be put on hold, we cannot pay our suppliers, we cannot make any commitments and that is really stressful to all the staff and to us as well, ” Anotine Boudier said.
