Home-based athletes depart for Olympics

The National Sports

By HENRY MORABANG
PART of the Team PNG squad for the Rio Olympic Games left on Wednesday, where they will meet up with the rest of the contingent in Brazil.
The team, led by Team PNG chief medical officer Dr Bernie Amof, comprised judo, boxing athletes and officials, as well as an official from weightlifting.
The party comprised of judo athlete Raymond Ovinou and his coach Richard Glied, boxer Thadius Katua and coach Joe Aufa, and weightlifting team manager Winis Tua.
Other Team PNG athletes who are overseas and scheduled to meet in Rio next week are Toea Wisil, Theo Piniau (athletics), Ryan Pini (swimming), Morea Bau (weightlifting) Maxmillion Kassman and Samantha Kassman (taekwando).
Four of the eight Team PNG athletes in Ovinou, Maxmillion and Samantha Kassman, as well as Toea Wisil, qualified for their events.
Athletics PNG president Tony Green confirmed last night that Wisil will run in the opening round of the women’s 100m heats, foregoing the preliminary round for non-qualifiers after running a qualifying time of 11.29 seconds at the Melanesian Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji, last month.
The women’s 100m qualifying time for the Rio Olympics is 11.32.
Initially, Athletics PNG had advised Wisil to keep her universality rule status and run in two races but coach Tony Fairweather and the 28-year-old have opted to focus on the first round and look at trying to advance to the semifinals.
Ovinou, who had been training in Japan, returned ahead home after the passing of his father last month, and left with the small contingent on Wednesday.
The athletes who qualified on the universality rule were Pini and Piniau, while boxer Katua and weightlifter Baru were granted International Olympic Committee Tripartite Commission spots on application by the PNG Olympic Committee.  PNGOC secretary-general Auvita Rapilla clarified that universality placing was only for athletics and swimming to ensure the participation of all countries.
The Rio opening ceremony will take place on August 5.