Govt should offer incentives to support sports more

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday October 30th, 2013

 TWO very different letters in The National on Oct 24 compel me to write about government support towards sports. 

Rugby league is PNG’s national game and it is hard to argue that the sport does not deserve the nation’s backing. 

DK from Madang wrote that the Kumuls should “smash some muscles because England has some of the best hospitals” and it is a well-known fact that many people see rugby league as an avenue to vent their aggression. 

Is this really the sort of mentality we wish to promote among the youth of PNG? 

Aloy Yang tried to put things in perspective by pointing out that rugby league is played seriously in only a very small number of countries, so whatever happens in the World Cup is not going to make much difference to PNG’s standing in the world of sports. 

If PNG wants to make an impression on the world stage, it should put some serious money into athletics. 

Imagine if a PNG athlete made it to the finals in the Olympic Games; the whole world would sit up and take notice of PNG. 

We have produced athletes such as Clement Abai and Salome Dell, who have shown that they have the ability to mix with the best. 

However, like so many before them, both dropped out of sport because they did not see any future in it. 

The same will happen to Toea Wisil. It is only a matter of time. 

There needs to be a serious financial incentive to reach the top level; like K100,000 for making it to the finals at the Commonwealth Games or K250,000 for making it to the finals at the Olympics.

 

Tony Green

president, Athletics PNG