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3rd Pacific Conference Games, Canberra 3-4 December 1977
Transcripts of Media Releases
PRESS RELEASE : AN INTRODUCTION
The third Pacific Games will be held in the Australian national capital, Canberra, on December 3 and 4, 1977.
Thirty-five top athletes from each of the five major athletics nations of the Pacific area - the United States of America, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and Australia - will compete for Games honours in the impressive new, multi-million dollar athletics stadium now under construction in Canberra.
Track and field records are expected to topple as these champion athletes mount a two-day attack on the record breaking.
Many thousands of people will throng the stadium for the two- day meeting to enjoy the spectacle and excitement of world champion athletes in competition.
The Pacific Games will be the first major international athletics meeting to be held in Australia for fifteen years and are expected to generate great enthusiasm among all sports fans, both in Australia and overseas.
A series of athletics meetings will be held in the Australian state capitals after the Games. The participating teams will divide into multi national groups for these meetings and will visit the various capitals so that as many people as possible will have the chance to see these top athletes in action.
Arrangements are being made for full television coverage of the Games, both in Australia and overseas, while the most sophisticated facilities will also be made available for radio and newspaper representatives.
Further details of these arrangements will be supplied as they become available.
THE GAMES
The Pacific Games were first held in Tokyo in 1969, with the second meeting-taking place in Toronto in 1973.
The Games have already been recognised as one of the world's major international athletics meetings, involving the five major athletics nations of the pacific area – Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United States and Canada.
The events included in the Games cover a full Olympic Games athletic programme, with the exception of the decathlon, marathon, 20 kilometres road walk and 50 kilometres road walk (men) and the pentathlon (women).
The events are:
Men - 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres, 1500 metres, 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, 110 metres hurdles, 400 metres hurdles, 3000 metres steeplechase, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, hammer throw, 4 x 100 metres relay and 4 x 400 metres relay.
Women - 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres, 1500 metres, 100 metres hurdles, 400 metres hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin throw, discus throw, 4 x 100 metres relay and 4 x 400 metres relay.
Teams for each of the participating countries are limited to a maximum of 40, with approximately 25 men, 10 women and five officials. Their costs are met by the host country.
Satellite meetings are held in other cities in the host country, with some athletes from each nation competing at each meeting.
These satellite meetings will take place after the 1977 Games and will be held in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney and Brisbane.
THE STADIUM
A multi-million dollar athletics stadium is being built in the Australian capital, Canberra, to coincide with the staging of the 1977 Pacific Games.
The National Athletics Stadium will have a spectator capacity of more than 16,000 and includes a spectacular grandstand structure.
This grandstand will house full amenities for competing athletes and the various administrative bodies, together with its complete spectator facilities.
The stadium complex consists of a main arena and a warm-up area. This warm-up area is connected to the grandstand facilities by the "athletes bridge" which provides easy, uninterrupted access to and from both areas.
The main arena comprises facilities for javelin, shot, jump and other field events, together with an 8-lane track circuit, including a 120m straight of 12 lanes and a straight of 110m with 8 lanes.
The track surface for the main arena will be an "all-weather" synthetic surface consistent with other international sports arenas.
At the Pacific Games a special area will be provided for newspaper, radio and television representatives and these facilities will include all necessary communications equipment.
Access to the stadium will be via rapid transit routes and parking facilities will be adequate to cope with estimated crowd requirements. Provision is also being made for the stadium to be serviced by an efficient public transport system.
Set against an impressive natural backdrop of the forests of Canberra's Black Mountain and with views towards a low range of hills, the National Athletics Stadium with its carefully landscaped site and its distinctive, high masted grandstand structure offers an imposing and well-equipped venue for the 1977 Pacific Games.
You can download a PDF copy of the Media Release here: (
PDF 1.59 Mb)
3rd Pacfic Conference Games Poster
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