Purchase of ‘Sports Legacy House’ is aimed at delivering quality games says Christian Nieng
WHAT has been circulated over the print and social media pertaining to the purchase of the ‘Sport Legacy House’ is not a mistake as portrayed and perpetrated by certain individuals in our community.
The Executive Director of NHA Mr Christian Nieng made the statement in response to criticisms circulating in the media claiming to purport him as saying.
Mr Nieng said ” NHA is very clear with its plans to ensure it delivers quality games within budget, supporting athlete preparations and ensuring it leaves a lasting legacy behind long after the 2023 Pacific Games is over”.
NHA sought support from donor partners who assisted the preparations by financing construction of sports facilities. One of the planned facilities is the Sports Legacy Haus that the government and people of Saudi Arabia agreed to fund.
The planned Sports Legacy Haus is not a new information to the public. It has been announced time and time again that Sports Legacy Haus is intended to house the offices of National Sports Federations in our country who currently lack office space that they can use to manage their Federations.
The initial plan was to construct the Sports Legacy Haus at SINU land south of the Friendship Hall, but due to time constraints, NHA proposed direct purchase of property most suitable to convert into a Sports Legacy Haus post Games.
The property purchased was decided based on its suitability for the purpose. It meets all the requirements including an additional land space next to it. The National Hosting Authority (NHA) board members representing the National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI) and the Pacific Games Council (PGC) are all in support of the plan to ensure that all National Federations (NF) in the country have a home to manage the affairs of their Federations.
The purchase of the Sport Legacy House was done in complete compliance with the relevant procurement requirements and processes and is in line with the Financial Management Act and Financial Instructions as catered for in the Pacific Games Act which was operationalized since October 26, 2018.
To say that the purchase of the Sports Legacy House is a mistake is a gross disregard of the relevant processes under the Act.
The public should appreciate the fact that it is a sound decision that will benefit all sports Federations in the country.
The National Hosting Authority is conscious about its roles and responsibilities under the Act and has therefore conducted its business accordingly since 2018 and assured the Minister responsible for PG2023 that it will continue to do so until NHA completely closes its operations 6 months after the closing ceremony.
Rest assured that the purchase of the Sports Legacy House is not a mistake but, a timely investment to help boost sports in the country.
“I ones again reiterate our call not to believe social media posts but verify information with NHA media team. What we needed now from the public is to support us to carry out our mandate of delivering the 2023 Pacific Games in just 48 days’ time” Nieng Said.
–NHA MEDIA
