Torch relay to kick off in Savai'i
The torch relay for the Samoa 2019 XVI Pacific Games will start off on the big island of Savaii on 24 June.
The relay is led by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, and students from all over Samoa will be showcasing their posters on the road as the torch passes through villages, carried by local children.
It also visits Manono Island, and moves to Upolu on 28 June.
“It’s a great feeling participating in a great and big event like this," said Torch Relay Coordinator, Tafaese Spencer Tautu.
"Maybe they wouldn’t get this chance again. When people see the torch, they will feel in their heart they have to support the Samoan team and pray for the teams.”
Read more:
The torch will be carried around Savai'i by school children. (Map: Pacific Games Office.)
Tafaese said the relay brings Samoans together as they prepare to host the Games from 7-20 July.
“The torch relay is important because it brings the people together in unity. [It] touches the heart of any child that would be running with the torch, a memory he or she will never forget.
"The torch has its way of igniting an emotion in the human heart without your permission.”
He is also the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of the Sports Division in MESC. He believes it is a great opportunity for the students to be involved in preparations for Games.
"We owe it to the students and all the hard effort that they have done with the in-school programme. Our prime minister has encouraged us to try to participate in everything that is happening in the Games.”
