100 days to Games

By HENRY MORABANG

TODAY marks 100 days to the 2016 BSP Papua new Guinea Games opening ceremony.
The country’s biggest sporting event, involving teams from all 22 provinces, takes place in West New Britain, with provincial capital Kimbe to stage the opening.
2016 PNG Games sports director John Susuve said from Kimbe yesterday that, with a little more than three months to go, the sports directorate desk (SDD) was facing daunting challenges due to provinces raising queries to the entry-by-name (EBN) forms.
The PNG Games are scheduled from Nov 26 to Dec 10 at several venues in the province, with the San Remo Stadium in Kimbe to be the main venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as athletics events and other codes.
Susuve said the entry forms were given to all provinces last week, and he expected them returned by Aug 31. Susuve said it was crucial provincial team managers adhered to the requirements of the entry form to avoid complications later on.
He said provincial team managements had to be mindful of the need for accurate information on their athletes, their numbers, and the other relevant information his office needed to run the games properly.
“The more changes they make will have a lot of impact and could set us back with the accreditation software which is aligned to the EBN forms,” Susuve, pictured, said.
He reminded the provinces that his office was facing challenges with upgrading the software with teams (provinces) continuously making changes to suit their own needs.
“We do respect their queries and comments but at the same time we are working closely with all the national federations to rectify what is appropriate to the provinces needs,” he said.
“All we need is for teams to follow to the letter the requirements on the forms and once that information is complete and confirmed we can make alterations if needed in consultation with codes concerned after the deadline,” Susve said.
“We need the provinces to channel their queries to through their appointed general team managers.”
The sports director said from the outset, his team was working with the local host organising committee for the 7th PNG Games, to meet targets for the preparation of the multi-sport event.
In related news, the PNG Games Council opened the bidding process for the 2020 PNG Games this week.
Southern Highlands are the host of the next games in 2018.
The announcement was made on Monday after a meeting of the council with PNG Sports Foundation executive director Peter Tsiamalili Jr at the Sir John Guise Stadium.
Tsiamalili said the 2020 PNG Games bidding process was open to all 22 provinces.
“Interested provinces can now access the bid documents from PNGSF and lodge their bid before Sept 25, which is the closing date,” Tsiamalili said.
“Unlike previous bids, the executive council has determined a guideline for bidding teams to meet the basic requirements to host the games.”
Tsiamalili and his executives passed other resolutions concerning the seventh PNG Games in Kimbe from Nov 26 to Dec 10:  the deadline for the entries-by-name forms and accreditation is Aug 31; the eligibility of an athlete depends on the residency qualification of the athlete who either is born in that represented province or be a resident of not less than six months.
For details on the PNG Games the following officers of the PNG Games Sports Directorate Desk can be contacted: John Susuve (director) on 79641500; Philip Lavatu on 71393079; Raina Wareba on 71502508; Thomas Kahai on 3251991.
Meanwhile, 2016 PNG Games host West New Britain were given a boost when local MP Francis Marus and the Talasea district development authority gave K647,000 to the provincial team.
Marus said the funding was their contribution for Team WNB and he hoped it helped the athletes in the various sports strive for gold.
The province finished ninth at the 2014 Games in Lae winning five gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals for a total of 20 medals.