Fun Run launched, foundation on board
The National, Friday February 26th, 2016
TRUKAI Industry Limited launched the 2016 Fun Run at the Royal Papua Yacht Club in Port Moresby yesterday to help raise half a million kina for team PNG athletes to attend the Rio Olympics.
PNG Olympic Committee president Sir John Dawanincura thanked the State, Trukai and other corporate bodies for their ongoing support in helping Team PNG attend or host international events from the past until now.
The Fun Run is scheduled for June 26 and Dawanincura said he was encouraging everyone to buy a Fun Run shirt out of the 100,000 pieces that would be sold to help raise funds for Team PNG.
“I am encouraging fun runners around the country to buy a Trukai shirt and take part to help raise funds for our athletes to Rio,” Dawanincura said.
He said the Fun Run events hadcontributed so much in helping Team PNG athletes and one classic example was the 2015 Fun Run organised to the help PNG athletes at the Pacific Games.
This year’s event would also be a significant one with Cancer Foundation coming on board in a joint partnership with Trukai and PNGOC.
Cancer Foundation patron and wife of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, Lynda Babao-O’Neill thanked PNGOC and Trukai incorprating the foundation .
“By coming on board to be part of the event we will be carrying out awareness on living healthy,” Babao-O’Neill said.
“By doing awareness on cancer we want to get across the message that cancer is beatable and can be prevented if addressed at an early stage and that is the positive message we want to bring across.”
The theme for the Fun Run is “Protect Your Family from Cancer. Eat Healthy, Exercise Regularly”.
Team PNG chef de mission to the Olympics Emma Waiwai said despite sending a small team to the Olympics, she was sure they would do the country proud.
Waiwai said athletes from seven sports – athletics, taekwondo, judo, swimming, boxing, shooting and weightlifting – were all preparing and attending international events to qualify for Rio.
The Fun Run is on June 26 starting at 6am at the Sir John Guise Stadium.