Tahiti concerned about accommodation for upcoming Pacific Games

Tahiti has raised concerns of accommodation for the upcoming Pacific Games in Samoa, this July.

This is after the organisers announced a compound by the country’s Methodist Church will be staged as the athletes’ village.

Originally the plan was to house all athletes in hotels but the vast majority will now stay in accommodation provided by the Methodist Church in Faleula.

Only weightlifting and boxing athletes will be housed in hotels, it has been reported.

More than 1,000 technical officials and delegates will also stay in hotels, with the church purely for athletes and team officials.

In November, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Samoa Tourism Authority, the Pacific Games Office (PGO) and accommodation providers in Upolu and Savaii.

It was hoped the agreement would allow for the accommodation of all athletes in hotels.

Tahiti Olympic Committee vice-president Charles Villierme has suggested the new arrangements might have an impact on athletes performances.

His comments followed a visit from the organisation’s treasurer and Chef de Mission for the Games.

"We used to, like in New Caledonia, have a different way of lodging the athletes but in Samoa at first we were told that all athletes were going to be in hotels and lately we had information that it would be at the Baptist Church lodging," he told Radio New Zealand.

"Our general treasurer and our Chef de Mission have just come back from Samoa and they have inspected those housing for the athletes.

“We figure that it's not that it's bad but our athletes figure that they're not going to be in a good mood, but we told them everybody is going to be at the same level."

Villierme added that the allocation of accommodation to countries had yet to take place, so the Tahiti Olympic Committee would wait for the final decision of organisers, before potentially assessing other proposals.

Around 4,000 athletes are expected to attend the Games.

The Games will take place from July 7 to 20.