Games Villages to be furnished

Now that all the Games Villages have been handed over to the government, Games Organizing Committee (GOC) cluster teams are working around the clock to fully equip the dormitories, hostels, and classroom blocks.

The six villages—St. Joseph Tenaru dormitories, Don Bosco classrooms, King George Sixth National Secondary School dormitories, Solomon Islands National University (SINU) Panatina campus, and SINU Kukum campus hostels—were fully renovated in the past months by local contractors funded by development partners and handed over to the government for use during the games.

Villager cluster managers during yesterday’s radio talkback show provided brief updates on their overall preparation, and the bump-in period will commence shortly after students vacate their campuses as of next week for the end-of-year holiday.

Equipment such as bedding materials, furniture, hygiene kits, and more will be moved into the dormitories and classroom buildings.

There is also a minor adjustment with the wiring, water supply, and other areas identified that need immediate fixing.

The Executive Director of the National Hosting Authority, Christian Nieng, said only Don Bosco and St. Nicholas will involve minor repurposing works into accommodation blocks as they are classroom buildings.

Other villages are all set for a bump-in period since they are existing dormitories and hostels.

The villager cluster managers were also working closely with agencies such as Solomon Water and Solomon Power, revising emergency response plans and integrating other functional teams.

The village cluster managers also briefed on the services that will be provided, such as security, catering, medical care, and the involvement of volunteers on site.

SINU Kukum campus will be the biggest game village, hosting half of the participating countries athletes and team officials.