East New Britain to host first regional youth championships

By JOACHIM LOLOK UPNG journalism student
EAST New Britain (ENB) will be the first province in the New Guinea Islands (NGI) to host the regional youth championships.
The championships will be held in Kokopo and will consist of teams from all five centres of the region.
Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation NGI manager Geoffrey Gideon confirmed that the event would take place in the first week of July.
He said the championships would include track and field events, touch, rugby league nines, soccer and basketball.
The teams will be made from the twelve districts of the five centres, according to NGI Youth Games Council chairman Conrad Golumu.
Since Manus has only one district, it will be put into two zones.
Under the supervision of the NGI sports development officer Chapau Tapo, preparations for the championships are underway at the Kalabond Oval.
After the lockdown in ENB, athletes are expected to resume training for the championships and other sporting events in the country.
“This will be a first of its kind in the region,” Golumu said.
“The championships will attract athletes between the ages 12 and 30 years old. It will be as interesting as the PNG Games with sporting and cultural activities.”