The second Melanesian Sports Minister’s meeting concluded in Nadi today.

Sports Ministers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia met for two days to discuss how to improve sports in the region.

Fiji’s Sports Minister, Parveen Kumar says statistics show that Pacific Islands make up more than 46% of the total playing staff in the Australian NRL and expectations are that this will grow past the 50% mark in the next few seasons.

“This important meeting provides us an opportunity as leaders to highlight areas in sports that need attention in our individual countries.”

John Susuve, speaking on behalf of the government of Papua New Guinea, says findings from this discussion will form the group’s presentation at the 10th Commonwealth Ministers meeting in the United Kingdom.

“The second Sports Ministers meeting today will formulate the roadmap for sports going forward in the future and will also build blocks go strengthen the development capacity to harness the growth of sports in the region.”

Sports are increasingly becoming an economic powerhouse for countries in the Pacific and have a great impact on our daily lives.

This is because many families rely on remittances and investments from family members who are professional athletes.