Kimbe

Service providers affected by Games deferral

West New Britain Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Ian O’Hanlon, tells PNG Loop that the deferral has been met with both good and bad reactions.

For service providers the deferral has hurt planning and budgeting made in advance to prepare for the Kimbe Games.

He said many guesthouses, hotels, schools, churches, women’s groups, wholesalers and retailers have overcommitted in preparation for a huge influx of people in November.

“Now budgets have been blown and the service providers have to hang on and survive for a few more months,” said O’Hanlon.

It’s an all Bougainville final

The Central Bougainville side opened the scoring in the 15th minute of the game, but  Kimbe fought back to  level the scores at 1-1 before the break.

After the break, it was anybody’s game for the taking as Kimbe showed a lot of courage in front of their home crowd. But the Bougainvilleans held a strong side to defend as they push their forward packs  in attack.

After several attacks from both sides, Bougainville forwards broke through the host team’s defence to convert their only chance to lead 2-1.

Islands Besta Cup qualifiers into knock out finals

In the men’s division South Bougainville will take on SBLC Buluma while Central Bougainville will play the host Kimbe Team (2). The winners of the two games will play in the grand final while loosers play for third and fourth placings.

In the women’s division, Buvussi will play Mosa NBPOL for the third and fourth placings, while Kokopo team 1 will play Kumbango in the finals. 

Besta Cup continues despite rain in Kimbe

While many celebrated Independence in Kimbe town and in their local areas and homes this morning, the  vast majority  have flocked to watch the first and the biggest football tournament in the region.

The event is the biggest held in their province, with a huge crowd  seen filing into the   football academy to watch their local and provincial teams play.

Hundreds of West New Britain locals including Bougainville, Manus and East New Britain people  have surrounded the field as they cheer for their home teams.

Manus, Bougainville capture crowds in Kimbe

The favourites are showing they can defend their title in front of the hundreds of local spectators that came to witness them play, in the Islands Besta Cup qualifiers.

Meanwhile, the Bougainvilleans who came to participate for the first  time with only two men’s teams, have caught the attention of the crowd when South Bougainville slammed the host team 6-0 and Central Bougainville, in a stunning match thrashed Kokopo Team (2) 3-0.

NGI Besta Cup qualifers kick off in Kimbe

The tournament will run for five days with 31 participating teams including 18 men’s and 13 women’s  teams with games to be played in four pools.

The Islands and national defending champions Manus arrived with four teams including one woman and three men’s  teams to defend their title.

Meanwhile, Bougainville arrived with only two men’s team representing South  and Central Bougainville respectively.

Four caught after break in at Kimbe Wal Mart

A guard, Augustine Wawa guarding the area at that time told PNG Loop that he heard a noise behind the containers at around 3:30am and went to check, when one of the men pointed a gun at him while the other three went ahead in opening the container.

One of the men than decided to stone him only when he realised that the gun was not loaded and he decided to free himself and run to the police station not far from the location.

"I ran to the police station and called for help but there were no police officers at the station," Wawa said.

PNG Games deferred to March 2017

This was because the PNG Games Council together with the National Government have decided that the FIFA U20 Women’s World World Cup, as a global event should take prominence.

"The World Cup needs to be given a standing ovation by itself to promote it and we need to ensure that the world sees Papua New Guinea," Minister Tkatchenko said.

Adding that hosting two events at the same time the PNG Games and the FIFA World Cup may allow us to lose track on of the World Cup as well as the PNG Games.

ABG soccer community disagree with change of venues

Describing it as a major blow to the organizing committee on the ground, who have spent sleepless nights preparing for the event.

President of the Bougainville Football Federation Justine Helele told PNG Loop in Buka that he only learnt of the change of venue by reading it in the Post Courier.

“According to our NGI Presidents meeting in Goroka, Buka was chosen and we were all preparing and looking forward to the event but then without notice it changed.” Helele said.

The unexplored regions of West New Britain Province

Before you can say a vacation anywhere in Papua New Guinea will satisfy this desire, note also, that not every province gives the same experience.