Games awareness important

 The National Aids Council Secretariat must be involved in major sporting events, according to deputy director for national prevention, Philip Tapo. 

With the PNG Games and 2015 Pacific Games set to take place in Papua New Guinea within the next nine months, it is crucial that the general public, particularly youth and young adults, are given information on the risks associated with sexually transmitted diseases. 

Tapo said the secretariat’s role was to disseminate information in the form of signage, pamphlets, advertisements and seminars on the dangers of HIV-AIDS and the choices made and consequences of those choices.

“Prevention is the only option outside of a cure.

“That is the message we want to give because you cannot control people’s behaviour, but you can influence and educate them to make the right and safer choice,” Tapo said. 

He said the distribution of HIV-AIDS information through literature (pamphlets/brochures) and the distribution of free condoms was an effective course of action at the last PNG Games in Kokopo in 2012.

Tapo urged the Sports Ministry, the PNG Olympic Council and the organising committees of both games to consider partnerships with the secretariat in order to help get the message to athletes, officials, visiting teams and the public.