BSP tennis spreads wings

BANK South Pacific has made special efforts over the past 18 months to help local communities around Papua New Guinea in many different ways, one of which is through sports.
Highlighting the bank’s regional community programme this week, relieving marketing and public relations team leader Barnabas Orere Pondros said one such activity was the regional tennis programme for schools nationwide.
Initiated in May last year, BSP provided the PNG Tennis Association with a sponsorship worth K150,000 a year for a three-year period.
Under the deal, BSP would support PNG tennis with K450,000 over the three years to the end of next year.
“The BSP tennis programme has proven to be so popular with school children and their teachers all over the country.
“So far, the programme has covered 14 provinces, 22 main centres and more than 140 schools around the country.
“Almost 30,000 students and their teachers have participated in this healthy activity,” Pondros said.
He attributed the success of the programme to the excellent hands-on practical teaching classes carried out at the various schools by PNG Tennis Association development officers Michael Foo and Lavu Ivuyo. They were also assisted by PNGTA senior coach Kwalum Apisah.
Thousands of colourful BSP t-shirts had been handed out to school children as part of the tennis programme.
Huge supplies of tennis racquets, balls and nets had also been provided by BSP to schools to ensure students have the necessary equipment to learn the basics of this outdoor sport.
The programme had just been completed in Moro, with both Goroka and Kainantu to be covered shortly.
Bulolo and Kundiawa would be covered next year.
Pondros said BSP was pleased to be in a position to bring tennis to many schools around the country.