athletes

The teenagers and young men and women, representing three sporting codes in Lae, were supposed to travel to Madang today for the games.

The team management of volleyball, basketball and touch footy in Lae district of Morobe Province received a letter from the Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation’s Momase Regional Office, dated August 18^th, confirming their participation at the games.

The 2023 Momase Regional Youth Games will be hosted in Madang on the 25^th-30^th of September, involving all 26 districts in the region.

The NOCSI Board member and National Selection and Justification Chair, Morris Maitaki, emphasized the importance of this new eligibility rule during a recent Sol2023 Talk-back show held at SIBC.

Maitaki highlighted that being a member of Team Solomon is a crucial requirement for participation in the Pacific Games, and to achieve this status, athletes must be valid citizens holding a passport. Even though Solomon Islands is the host nation for the Games, they are not exempt from this stringent requirement.

Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee delivered its 7th Edition of the Papua New Guinea Sports Hall of Fame with the induction of three outstanding sport legends, on Thursday, 8th of December 2022. 

The PNG Sports Hall of Fame was initiated in 2011 to honour and preserve the legacy of the individuals who excelled in the past, recognizing sporting accomplishments, bringing pride and distinction to our country, and who have contributed to the development of sport in PNG.

The men’s 4*400m team of Alphonse Igish, Jonathan Dende, Ephraim Lerkin and Emmanuel Wanga posted an improved time of 3min 16.84secs. 

Leonie Beu and Isila Apkup were also in action in the 600 yards and 400m respectively and joined their teammates Passion Crews and Zimbabwean Vimbayi Maisvorewa for a good seasons opening 3min 52.88secs in the 4*400m relay. 

This was the second of five scheduled competitions for the team during the indoor season ahead of the Regional Championships on 19/20 February. 

Dr. Daoni Esorom says sporting codes affiliated under the PNG Sports Foundation must consider vaccination of sportsmen and women and even the administrators of the code to safeguard the competitions.

He reminded them that sports are high risk events where the COVID-19 virus can spread if preventive measures are not adopted at the early stages of the commencement of the competitions.

He said there are also important criteria for all sporting codes to meet in order for the competition to begin.

Leeroy Kamau 21, Brendan Baul 21, Benjamin Aliel 24, Cellian Taubuso 26, Morgan Tobeno 24, Jonah Theo 21 and Christopher Penni 25. The bond was through high school and they met on the tracks again. They’ve been training for four years on the track. They are coached by Nelson Stone, a former PNG and Pacific Games track champion. Leeroy & Benjamin will be taking part in the Nationals from the 4^th – 6^th December 2020 in Port Moresby.

- Athletes, Port Moresby. 

One of them is 35-year-old Tetsuya Sotomura. When I met him on a sweltering afternoon earlier this week he was still hard at it in a converted factory building in a north Tokyo suburb, flying high into the air, spinning and tumbling on a massive trampoline.

Back in 2008 Tetsuya placed 4th at the Beijing Olympics, just missing a bronze medal. Since then he's fought injury that put him out of London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. Tokyo was to be his last hurrah, a hometown Olympics to end his trampolining career on a high. But another year is just too much.

This has been confirmed by the Team Samoa Chef de Mission, Nynette Sass at a podcast training workshop for a group of journalists that is being conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“Our officials will be present at the games and will walk up to athletes that won their events, say if they win gold, the official will come up to them and tap their back to tell them to take the test. If the athletes refuse, they have to have a valid reason like they have another event to attend to. If not, officials will be on their backs till they take the test,” Sass said.

The rules, which start on 1 November 2018, would apply to women who race in track events from 400m up to the mile.

The IAAF believes the new measures will stop women with high testosterone levels gaining a competitive advantage.

Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya is expected to be among those affected.

The South African runner has previously been asked to undertake gender testing by athletics chiefs but no results have ever officially been made public.

FIFA coach and member of the FIFA technical study group, Vera Pauw, said coaches must give athletes the confidence to be themselves and say what they think in a positive way.

Pauw explained that when athletes are exposed in the media, the publicity gives them confidence and develops them not only in their sporting career but education and professional careers as well. 

She said the coach must lead by example by being open to the media and contribute positively on behalf of the team.

“Coaches must always be positive as they need the media and the media needs them.