Let the Commonwealth Games countdown begin!

The countdown to the Commonwealth Youth Games (C.Y.G) to be hosted by Samoa later this year is officially underway. With it comes the call for help to raise at least $20million required to host the event.

It follows the official launch of the Sponsorship Campaign by the Chairman of the Samoa Commonwealth Youth Games Organising Committee and Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, last night.

The launch was held at the Samoa Tourism Authority fale.

The fifth Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Apia from the 5th to 11th of September this year.

At the event last night, both the Games medal and mascot design competition winners were announced and awarded their prizes. The winning medal designer is Nadya Va’a. Her medal design represents the C.G.F’S trinity of values; humanity, equality and destiny displayed in traditional Samoan tatau (tattoo) symbols as well as a bird symbol moving forward in the progression of humanity.

The winning Mascot designer is Sale Tago. His mascot design represents Samoa’s native bird, Manumea, endemic to Samoa wearing a traditional pulou launiu (coconut leaf hat) and carrying an orator’s staff to welcome all visitors to Samoa.

The inaugural Youth Games were hosted in Scotland in 2000 with subsequent Games being held in Australia (2004), India (2008) and Isle of Man (2011).

Samoa’s Commonwealth Youth Games will see up to 1,000 athletes, supported by 250 team officials, participating in nine sports; aquatics, archery, athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rugby 7s, squash, tennis and weightlifting. Samoa will also host a number of Commonwealth dignitaries, ministers and senior sport officials, and also, sport technical officials, parents and supporters of participating teams. “The members of the Games include not just the 53 states of the Commonwealth but also 18 territories making a total of 71 participating teams. This membership spans the entire globe over 6 regions and inhabited continents,” Tuilaepa said.

“The entire Commonwealth – it’s Youth and sports leaders will be our guests and the benefits in terms of publicity and advertising for Samoa, including opportunities for our young athletes, sport associations, Samoan businesses and services, our culture, environment and unique beauty, would be enormous.”

The Samoa C.Y.G 2015 Sponsorship Campaign is seeking sponsors to assist in bearing the high cost normally associated with hosting such major international sporting events such as this.

Preliminary estimates have it at over $20 million. This figure does not include the costs of the renovations to both the Apia Park facilities and the Aquatic Centre or various sports equipment and coaching assistance generously funded by the Chinese Government or the International Games Advisor provided by Australia.

“As both Chairman of the Organising Committee and leader of the nation,” said the Prime Minister to a gathering of government dignitaries, business leaders and the diplomatic corps, “I ask for your help and support whether in cash donations or in kind so that Samoa will not only deliver a successful Games but a fantastic event for Commonwealth Youth.”

To assist sponsors, the Government had put in place special income tax relief legislation for all C.Y.G 2015 donations.

The 2007 South Pacific Games raised $15 million in sponsorship and given that C.Y.G will have a truly global audience by way of live-streaming the sporting events to worldwide audience, the opportunity for publicity, marketing and promotion would be world-wide providing more return on investment for sponsor , the hope is that greater sponsorship would be attracted.