The Vanuatu-based Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat will be encouraging more development programmes for sports.
MSG Acting Director General, George Hoa’au said sports should not only be considered as entertainment but as an approach for development.
“The secretariat needs to work more with its members to ensure that we organise creative sporting engagement between MSG members,” Hoa’au said.
MSG Sports Development officer Henry Bill clarified that the Secretariat does not necessarily sponsor tournaments but it facilitates them.
“We facilitate programmes starting from New Caledonia and to Solomon Islands part of the programme is the Melanesian Cup. Prime minister’s cup we are looking at the last quater of this year once the boarder is open.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on July 2020, between the MSG Secretariat and the President of the Oceania Football Confederations, Lambert Maltok to establish a mutually cooperative relationship between the two organisations to promote and develop football and futsal in Melanesia.
MSG also sponsored the Vanuatu Women’s 7s rugby team which participated in the Oceania 7s in 2019.