The selection included 293 youth athletes and 72 officials from the 16 sports of archery, aquatics, athletics, beach volleyball, boxing, football, golf, judo, netball, para-sport (athletics and table-tennis), rugby league, rugby union, table-tennis, tennis and weightlifting.

“Now that the national federations have confirmed the final list for Team Vanuatu for the games, the ministry on behalf of the government, and VASANOC is calling the federations, the athletes and the officials to intensify their training and preparations for this Pacific Games,”Sports Minister, Tomker Netvunei and VASANOC President, Antoine Boudier urged in a statement.

The mission for team Vanuatu has always been to win more medals than in any other Pacific Games, to win more gold medals than in any other Pacific Games, to win more medals by sports that have never won medals in past Pacific Games and to win more medals by the new Sports in Team Vanuatu to a Pacific Game.

Declared by the national ministry, the government invested a worth of VT 50 million for the participation of Vanuatu’s youth in these games and each member of Team Vanuatu has invested in participation fees to be able to take-part in these Games.

The momentum of VAN2017’s success in the Pacific Mini-Games led to Vanuatu’s highest medal win in the last Pacific Games of 2019 in Samoa where the nation won 26 Medals – beating the national records in the Games of 1999 and 2003. This included the highest gold medal win with 8 Golds and 6 Silvers and 12 Bronze medals. The sport that won the highest Gold, was Table-Tennis with 5, followed by Women Beach Volley ballers, Boxing and Athletics with 1 Gold each.

The countdown is on the Pacific region has less than 30 days left before the island countries come to display their skills and talent on the field and/or in the water.

Meanwhile, PNG has an overall contingent of 520 most of its athletes which will compete in 20 sports disciplines while host country Solomon Islands is well in preparation mode.