APNG calls for athletes to remain focused

ATHLETICS Papua New Guinea (APNG) president Tony Green has urged all athletes in the country remain focused and continue training in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He commended World Athletics president Sebastian Coe for speaking of the need for sports to take a back seat while people focused on the health and well-being their families and themselves.
Green said Coe’s stance was an example of the “outstanding leadership that he is providing to the sport”.
“Athletics has been at the forefront of the fight against doping in recent years and has been taking the lead in recent discussions surrounding the rescheduling of the Olympic Games,” he said.
“We’re communicating with our athletes abroad while holding discussions with athletes locally about the facts on Covid-19 and the impact on our sport and on them personally.
“Like so many athletes around the globe who while in isolation or restricted in movement, innovate and continue to train in their backyards, we encourage our athletes to do the same here to stay focused and not let the situation stop them from training.”
Whilst acknowledging that the priority for everyone right now is to contain the pandemic, stay healthy and stay home, Coe has set our four priorities for athletics. One is to get athletes back into competition as soon as possible and once it is safe to do so. Secondly, to expedite a review of the Olympic qualification system and release any changes to the process as soon as possible. Thirdly, to reorganise the global calendar of events, not just for the next two years but for the long term. Lastly, to continue developing strategies to grow athletics.
As far as international activity is concerned, 2020 is going to be a quiet year for APNG, with only the Melanesian Championship on the calendar.
“The Oceania Athletics Association has indicated that the event will now most likely be held in December,” Green said.
“There’s a lot happening in the first half of next year with the World Cross Country Championships in March, Oceania Championships in May and the Pacific Mini Games in June. There are no excuses for us not to be ready for these events.”