Preparations for the 7th Papua New Guinea Games 2017 in Kimbe, West New Britain Province, are on track.
The Games will be held from March 18-April 1 and will bring together 23 provincial teams and 12,000 athletes and officials.
Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko confirmed that 90 percent of the venues are complete, with preparations progressing well.
However, the only issue that is slowing the contractor down is the wet weather, Tkatchenko said, which plays a major role in the timing of the completion of the facilities.
He thanked the National Gaming and Control Board for contributing K1 million to assist the WNB Provincial Government to construct some of the sporting venues and infrastructure.
“The province will have some of the best sporting facilities built to international standard and Kimbe will be the new sporting hub for the New Guinea Islands,” Tkatchenko stated.
“The sporting facilities are first-class with a new running track, mini stadium and new basketball, netball and volleyball courts.”
The Minister will visit the province in February to do a final inspection of the facilities and make sure that everything is set.