Give athletes their due, Parkop says

 PLAYER profiles for athletes selected for Team PNG for the 2015 Pacific Games must be updated on a daily basis so fans can follow and support them during the Games in July, an MP says.

National Capital District Gov­ernor Powes Parkop made the comment when presenting national bodybuilding squad member Aaron Dai, pictured, with K2000 to help him with his dietary supplements as he prepares for the Games.

Parkop said people only knew Ryan Pini, Dika Tou, Steven Kari and Toea Wisil because they had represented PNG in many international events and had been made famous because of their achievements but the country’s other champions needed recognition as well.

 He said the only way athletes could be better appreciated by the fans and the public was if they had their stories told.

‘’Player profiles of every athlete competing in the different sports at the Pacific Games must be updated daily in the newspapers, on the radio, on television and social media so that our citizens can know who’s who and follow them in their preparations whether the news is on training, injuries, sponsorships and so forth leading up to the Games,” Parkop said.

He said a lot of publicity has been centred around the Games venues, security and facilities to promote Port Moresby and the country as the best and biggest Games in history but little attention was being given to athletes who would be the ones who would make the country proud.

Dai is the current Mr Asia Pacific champion in the Under-70 kg division which he claimed during the Oceania Bodybuilding Championship in October last year. In September 2014 he was awarded a fourth placing at the Singapore Amateur Classic Championship. 

Dai competed in two PNG Games in Port Moresby in 2009 and Kokopo in 2012.

Meanwhile, Dai’s parents,dad Samuel and mum Degi who are informal sector vendors thanked Parkop for the timely assistance and said the help would go a long way in ensuring that Aaron strove for the ultimate, gold for PNG.