Consider future of elite athletes: Nandex

 By JACK AMI

FORMER world kick boxing champion Stanley “Head Hunter” Nandex is concerned about the future of PNG elite athletes in life after representing the country.

He said this was an issue that needed to be ironed out by all the stake holders involved in sports in Papua New Guinea.

Nandex has expressed that elite sportsmen and women were not utilised to become good ambassadors’ in the social development in the country. 

He said when joining the tax credit project with Oil Search Ltd that the Government through the Sports Ministry did not have proper development plans in place to utilise retired or current active sportsmen and women to contribute to their sports to motivate and provide coaching programmes to maintain high standards. 

Nandex said it was also sad to see other retired sports personalities who have not been utilised to be involved in their sport. This, he said, was likely to kill the sports in the country when we focus only on new athletes. 

He said sports personalities have so much influence and potential to get involved in any advocacy with social issues such as drugs, homebrew and other activities that are affecting the communities. Some of our current elite sportsmen and women should be used for such activities. 

He said kickboxing has done remarkably well on the world stage but the legacy and history has not been maintained by way of producing the next potential person due to lack of funding and support. 

“We have to be very much confining to our own strength especially with the sport that the athletes have the natural talent and ability to capture international recognition. He also thanked individuals, corporate business houses and the Government for the support in his success. 

He said he was happy to be back in the Gobe oil and gas project where he first started work with Chevron Niugini in 1997 as a security coordinator. 

Nandex is now working as a community affairs officer for the Erave-Sembirigi road project and is proud to return home to work with his communities.

He said sport was always going to be part of his life wherever he went and has already made some plans to work with youths throughout the project area to involve them in sports programmes as part of the community development initiatives.