2019 Pacific Games bid

The French territory is competing with Samoa and Guam for the right to stage the event in two years time, after Tonga pulled out because of a lack of government support.

Tahiti previously hosted the Games in Papeete in 1971 and 1995 but lost out to Tonga and Solomon Islands in the original bidding process for 2019 and 2023.

The President of the Tahiti Olympic Committee, Tauhiti Nena, said all of the national sporting federations are on board but they still need to persuade the government to come to the party.

However, the Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, said on his weekly radio interview Fiji would also like to make a bid.

Tuila'epa said his country always stood ready to host international sporting events because of the capabilities and the quality of sporting facilities constructed for the 2007 Pacific Games.

In recent years Samoa had hosted the Oceania Weightlifting Championships, the Commonwealth Youth Games and the All Blacks test against Manu Samoa.