Prince Andrew will officially open this year's Pacific Games, it has been announced ©Getty Images

The 2015 Pacific Games will be officially opened on July 4 by Duke of York Prince Andrew, Port Moresby 2015 have announced.

The news represents a major boost for the event in the Papua New Guinean capital, which has come under scrutiny recently due to concerns over readiness of venues, and will see Prince Andrew in attendance at the Opening Ceremony.

Port Moresby 2015 have confirmed they will work with the Government to ensure the British Royal enjoys a safe visit to the Games, and the development has been hailed by Organising Committee chief executive Peter Stewart, who believes Prince Andrew’s presence highlights the global significance of the event.

“We are excited with the news as this deems that the Games is significant and as a result we have a Royal Family member to officiate at the Opening Ceremony,” he said.

Tickets are still available for the Opening Ceremony, with general admission prices starting at K100 (£24/$37/€33), and Port Moresby 2015 have urged fans to snap up the remaining seats in order to avoid disappointment.

Port Moresby 2015 have urged fans to snap up the remaining tickets for the Opening Ceremony at the Sir John Guise Stadium
Port Moresby 2015 have urged fans to snap up the remaining tickets for the Opening Ceremony at the Sir John Guise Stadium ©Port Moresby 2015

Organisers have also announced that venue packages for both the POM Racquets Club and the Caritas Technical Secondary School are 80 per cent sold out.

The POM Racquets club will play host to tennis and squash competitions while Caritas is set to stage table tennis, bodybuilding and boxing.

Shooting is also proving to be a popular among fans, with 90 per cent of tickets for the sport already sold.

This includes both the shooting sports package and individual tickets, with the upsurge in sales of a sport which has no real tradition in Papua New Guinea providing Port Moresby with more encouragement ahead of the Games, expected to be the biggest event to be held in the country in its history.

Around 3,000 athletes from 23 nations due to compete across 28 different sports at the 15th Pacific Games, which is due to last until July 18.



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