Covid-19 delays PNGSF high performance unit

Sports

THE Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation high performance unit is yet to engage with athletes and teams this month as its management is enforcing strict compliance with Coronavirus (Covid-19) protocols.
Despite the re-opening of services by the foundation last week, high performance manager Cornelius Papau told The National that his staff were undergoing testing before they could resume work.
“At the moment, we are not engaging with national federations because we are running tests for our staff,” he said.
“Once we receive the results, we can be able to go back to working with athletes, but it will be under strict Covid-19 protocols.
“The federations also have to understand and make sure that their athletes and officials we engage with are either vaccinated or have produced negative Covid-19 test results. We are also asking the federations to have serious discussions with their athletes about vaccination and what they need to know about it.
“We will be meeting with (foundation pandemic management committee chairman) Dr Kapua Kapua this week to discuss how we can safely continue our operations, especially for elite teams and athletes.”
Papau’s unit is in charge of the physical testing and training of PNG’s elite and representative teams and athletes.
Following the Covid-19 lockdown last month, most of their services have been suspended until Nov 1.
Meanwhile, the committee reiterated that vaccination was voluntary, however, it was up to the federations to decide if the jab was a requirement for their competitions.