The OSEP courses are designed to train coaches and managers in skills useful for preparing athletes for events, in order to improve athlete coaching, management and training in the Pacific region.

The survey covers 150 participants in Apia and was conducted during the first week of Pacific Games competition.

OSEP coordinator Sainimili Saukuru claimed the preliminary findings have indicated that while the courses have been useful, what is learnt needs to be continuously reinforced in sporting environments.

"In the build up to these Games we conducted training courses in 11 countries for team managers, coaches and a strength and conditioning course for coaches with the intention that it would help them with their preparations towards the games here in Apia," she said.

"We have a sample size of 207 and we then reduced it as Fiji is running their own survey, so our final sample size on ground in Apia now is 150."

Saukuru admitted that the logistics of the survey were not as simple as they had hoped, but said they were now pleased with the responses they had gained.

"We spent the first three days organising the logistics and reconfirming our sample size and names with the 11 countries we are surveying," Saukuru said. 

"We noticed that there were some changes between the closing list of athlete names we received from the Organising Committee and the final list when the teams got on the ground here in Apia.

"We've had to try and catch coaches and athletes around their schedule and be sensitive in our timing so that we are not disrupting them.

"Our preliminary findings are that there are those who have attended the course and applied the learning outcomes straight away and there are those who haven't been able to and this has been verified from the sample athletes we have spoken with.

"We can say for sure that the courses are highly recommended however we have also realised that some participants are still yet to internalise the learnings and to apply them daily and this I know will have to happen over time.

"We will also need to find ways to ensure that there is consistency as well on the ground to allow the participants to continue practicing and applying the learnings.

"The final findings will help us with our feedback to the National Olympic Committees on how to build a support structure for team managers and coaches."

OSEP is a programme created in partnership between the Australian Sport Commission, Oceania National Olympic Committees and the Organisations of Sport Federations in Oceania.