The wet season in Port Moresby is not helping outdoor sporting activities especially the rugby league tournaments happening around the city.
One affected league tournament is the much-anticipated JT Cup Rugby League 9s, scheduled to run from March 8-13th, 2022. However, the challenge has been delayed by a week due to continuous rain and wet grounds at the South Side Stadium in Kaugere.
Tournament Director, Bagelo Solien said the main concern would be damage to the playing surface, which is risky for the players and may cause injuries.
“The field is not visible because of the thickness of the grass. We have pumped out most of all the water but the surface hasn’t dried up, the continuous rain has made the surface soft,” Solien said.
He said in consultation with the Patron of the event, Justin Tkatchenko, both decided that with the current weather trend, there is no guarantee it will ease up.
Bagelo said after staging the Southern Super League preliminary matches under heavy downpour last Saturday, the condition of the field and playing surface is currently wet and slippery.
He explained that more rainfall is expected and with the amount of games to be played the field would be damaged and unsafe for playing.