Athletics PNG releases calendar

Athletics Papua New Guinea (APNG) has released its calendar of events with the focus on its domestic programme in preparation for next year’s Oceania Championships in Port Vila (May) and the Pacific Mini Games in Saipan in June.
APNG has scheduled this year’s national championships for September rather than June to avoid too long a gap between the event and the Mini Games.
Due to the need to select teams two to three months ahead of the Games, the national championships will be a key consideration in the selection process, as will performances in selection trials early next year.
A fourth PNG Air-sponsored regional championships has been scheduled this year, subject to the confirmation of a venue in Madang, with the Mamose championships being separated from the Highlands championships.
Hence this year will see the Highlands event in June, Momase and New Guinea Islands (NGI) in July and the Southern championships in Port Moresby ahead of the national tournament in the nation’s capital in September.
The only overseas event being targeted this year is the Melanesian championships which will be in Lautoka, Fiji, in June.
About 10 developing athletes who have shown the potential to make the national team will be selected based on the 2019 competition results and subject to the athletes maintaining a strong training commitment this year.
“Provincial associations are urged to contact APNG as soon as possible if they have any outstanding candidates for whom results may have not reached APNG, or if the results of any of their competitions have not been submitted,” APNG president Tony Green said in a statement.
“APNG will also give the opportunity to established members of the national team to attend the Melanesian Championships at their own cost.
“Details of this arrangement are expected to be available by the middle of next month.”
A welcome addition to the calendar is a full marathon (42km) to be held in Port Moresby on July 26 along with half marathon and 10km races.
“These events are the initiative of Port Moresby road runners and the marathon is targeting overseas entrants. There are enthusiasts around the world who want to run marathons in as many different countries as they can, and many recreational runners looking for a different experience and these are the type of entrants being targeted by the organisers,” Green said.
“It is understood that two Germans and two Americans have already signed up for the Port Moresby marathon.”
The staging of the World Cross Country Championships in Australia next year is a great opportunity for the smaller countries in the region, including PNG, to participate in the event, which is normally held in Europe. The 2021 edition will be held in Bathurst, New South Wales, in March and presents a once in a generation opportunity for PNG athletes to experience running with the best distance runners in the world.
The full APNG calendar for 2020/21 can be viewed on the APNG website and Facebook page.
APNG is also planning to stage its ‘fundamentals of athletics coaching’ course in Kokopo, East New Britain, from July 8-10 ahead of the NGI championships and in Port Moresby during the week after the national championships.
The course was developed in 2018 and first delivered at the National Sports Institute in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, in January last year.
A sports administration course will also be staged in Port Moresby during that same week and will target individuals organising athletic events for affiliated member associations.