Inaugural Pacific sevens tournament launched

By PETER PUSAL
The inaugural Air Niugini Pacific Sevens tournament as launched yesterday with a K25,000 sponsorship from PNG Power at Ela Beach Hotel in Port Moresby.
The Nov 30-Dec 1 tournament was sanctioned by the International Rugby Board is the first regional tournament of its kind and will be held at the Lloyd Robson Oval.
PNG Power rep Patrick Mara presented the cheque to PNGRFU executives in a brief ceremony.
PNG Rugby Union has bid for and won the right to host the Pacific Sevens tournament for five years running. Air Niugini is the major sponsor and has the naming rights for this event.
The inaugural tournament will involve a total of 11 men’s teams and five women’s. The countries taking part include Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu and an Australian Aboriginal side in the men’s competition while in the women, Samoa, Fiji, Niue and the host, PNG.
The tournament coordinator Cybele Druma said the tournament would definitely put PNG on the world rugby scene as a potential venue for future IRB recognised events.
“This is a great opportunity for exposing our players and officials to international standards. Rugby PNG as well as all supporters, players sand sponsors can unite to make this tournament a success. The tournament is an opportunity for the rugby world see PNG as a destination for events and also to promote the country and its people.”
Also present at the launching were Graham Osborne and Peter Tsiamalili Jnr of Rugby PNG and representative of POM Rugby Football Union.
Teams Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu arrived yesterday while Tongans and Cooks Islands are due today. The rest of the participating teams are due tomorrow and on Thursday.

Field goal victors
A FIELD goal by Kala Knights rake Mathew Joe minutes before fulltime enabled his team to grab a narrow 1-0 victory over Tech Bombers in the main A grade game of the Duma Off -Season rugby league competition at Gomis Oval in Mount Hagen Sunday.
Both teams used all their techniques in the books to score but were unsuccessful and were scoreless for the entire match in a tough and gruelling encounter that kept the crowd cheering through.
However, Knights managed to get the competition points at the 75 minute after Joe carefully potted the ball through the uprights.
The final; score-line determined what the game has been.
Both sides looked for scoring opportunities in the first and second stanzas but were kept at bay.
In the earlier A grade fixtures, Wild Wests drew with Kala Warriors 12-12, Reds defeated Tribesmen 20-6, Warakum Bulls defeated Raiders 32-8, KC Bombers defeated Southern Sons 4-0, Young Guns defeated Nokondis 12-0, Y Waves defeated Kongri 6-4 and Ela Sharks forfeited Roosters.

Full support for Stanley Nandex
WORLD Champion kick boxer Stanley Nandex, the principal of KB1 Promotions, was on hand last week Thursday to receive a cheque for K60,000 as an initial contribution by the National AIDS Council Secretariat to assist in his internationally televised “Rest of the World versus PNG”tournament due to take place on Dec 2.
The tournament scheduled to be held at the Sir John Guise indoor sports complex has attracted fighters from Japan, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Italy, Germany and South Africa.
In presenting the cheque to Nandex on behalf of the National AIDS Council, Lufa MP and vice-minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Yawa Silupa said that the Government was happy to support this promotion.
Also there to witness the presentation was senior NACS staff including director Romanus Pakure who said in his opening remarks that the NACS was committed to provide regular long term funding.
“We see sports and events as an opportunity to carry out awareness on HIV/AIDS. Since most of the participants and spectators are young people this is a great avenue to push the message on HIV and AIDS," he said.