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2023 Pacific Games Workshop sets tone for Team PNG’s preparations
A preparatory Games Workshop for Team Papua New Guinea (Team PNG) was held at the Gateway Hotel on Saturday 10th September by the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC).
The workshop covered analysis of Team PNG’s performance at the 2022 Pacific Mini Games and 2022 Commonwealth Games, and preparations for the upcoming 2023 Pacific Games (PG2023) in the Solomon Islands scheduled for November .
With a total of 27 sports highlighted for Team PNG national representative selection opportunities, the workshop has provided an avenue for both the PNGOC and the respective National Federations to set out very clear strategic planning pathways and programs as the games are only 14 months away.
PNGOC President Sir John Dawanincura in welcoming all the participants to tha one-day workshop emphasised the importance of the games itself and partnerships. He acknowledged Mr Albert Veratau, Executive Director of the PNG Sports Foundation for the close collaboaration between the government agency, the PNGOC and National Federations.
Sir John said, “The Pacific Games is a multi-sport event that provides a wide platform for many of our people to be part of national sporting representation, as well as to interact with our brothers and sisters from across the region”.
He added that it was an iconic multi-sport event in the region that not only unites the region, but will also be now used as a platform for some sports as qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
On that note, he encourage each National Federation to work together with the PNGOC and to comply with all performance and administrative requirements, and to adhere to the timelines provided by the PNGOC.
Sir John also took the oportunity to introduce Kini Karo as the new Justification Committee (JC) Chairperson to the 19 National Federations and PNG Sports Foundation representatives who were present at the workshop. Kini also serves on the PNGOC Executive Board as the Male Vice President and is also the President for Badminton Papua New Guinea.
In his presentation on the JC requirements and timelines, Kini also stressed on the importance of compliance to selection and performance standards
Team PNG Chef de Mission (CdM) to the 2023 Pacific Games, Faye-Zina Lalo encouraged and stressed on the importance of being good sports ambassadors of PNG and to embody the Team PNG HERO values of honesty, excellence, respect and openness.
CdM Lalo called on all the sports to have workable and achieveable plans to emulate the good performances set at the 2015 Port Moresby Games and 2019 Samoa Games, as achieved and exemplified in the recent 2022 Pacific Mini Games with Team PNG topping the medal tally with 80 medals.
Apart from the 2022 Games annalysis and preparations for the 2022 Games, representatives from High Perforamance Sport PNG and the National Sports Institute in Goroka also presented on the services they continue to provide for athletes in PNG.
A total of 60 participants from 19 National Federations, the Executive Board of PNGOC and PNG Sports Foundation attended the day-long event at the Gateway Hotel, in Port Moresby.
This games workshop brings the total number of workshops held to assist the National Federations in their respective preparations to represent the country to three (3). Similar workshops were held in 2019 and 2020 to set clear games targets, programs and plans to achive Team PNG success.
