Samoa is hoping that a new model will improve its sporting performances ©Getty Images

Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee chief executive Faamausili Taiva is hopeful that a new elite athletes institute will help improve sporting performances at major events including the Olympic and Pacific Games.

A new facility, named the Oceania Institute of Sport, has opened on the Pacific Island to help do this. 

It should follow the model seen in Papua New Guinea, where a High Performance Centre in Port Moresby was credited as causing their medal table-topping performance at last year's home Pacific Games.

Samoa's facility is aiming to offer promising athletes a level of support not seen in the country before.

"The talent and potential is there," Taiva told ABC.net.

"All we need is to selected them, and nurture them and convert them into good athletes. 

"It’s very exciting to see that the concept is slowly sinking into peoples' minds, and they are realising that they have something to look forward to."

Samoa missed out on a rugby sevens qualifying spot at Rio 2016 after being beaten by Spain ©World Rugby
Samoa missed out on a rugby sevens qualifying spot at Rio 2016 after being beaten by Spain ©World Rugby

Samoa, the island nation that has never won an Olympic medal, is hoping to compete in the four sports of athletics, canoeing, judo and weightlifting at Rio 2016.

They surprisingly failed to qualify a men's rugby sevens team after losing to Spain in the final qualifier.

The nation finished fifth on the medals table at the Pacific Games, winning 17 gold, 23 silver and 11 bronze medals.

It is hoped that athletes from other Pacific Islands can also news the new training facilities.

An improved performance at the 2019 Pacific Games, currently set to be held in Tonga, is the immediate aim cited by Taiva.