Tahiti has announced that it will boycott the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu.
Photo: Supplied/Van2017
The withdrawal was announced by the director of French Polynesia's youth and sport service Anthony Pheu and follows a disagreement over who should represent Tahiti's boxers.
The president of the Pacific Games Council Vidya Lakhan was accused of unacceptable interference in French Polynesia's affairs for approving a boxing squad of a federation led by a former sport minister Tauhiti Nena.
A Tahitian official said Mr Lakhan should have known that under the rules of the Pacific Games Council, the boxers nominated by Mr Nena are ineligible to compete because they lacked the recognition by the official sports bodies in Tahiti.
In August, Mr Nena was stripped of his title of president of the Olympic Committee of French Polynesia after a court challenge of his election.
Mr Nena's boxing federation is recognised by the international boxing federation while the government-backed federation is not.
