Island medals for champs from Pacific

THE island medal category offered at the 12th Oceania Swimming Championships in Port Moresby is a way of ranking swimmersfrom Pacific island countries outside Australia and New Zealand.
The only PNG swimmer to win an island medal on Tuesday was 23-year-old Sam Seghers, pictured, in the men’s 50m butterfly.
PNG Swimming Inc president Elizabeth Wells said that because Australia and New Zealand swimmers were at a higher level, the Oceania Swimming Association agreed that all non-Australian and New Zealand swimmers that competed in the tournament and clocked qualifying times in a finals of their respective events would be given an island medal.
She said the 2019 Pacific Games was just around the corner and the island medals provided an opportunity for the Pacific island nations to feel motivated as they competed against the best young swimmers from Australia and New Zealand.
Oceania Swimming Association president Dennis Miller also mentioned that the tournament was a qualifying event for upcoming events such as the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October and the Fina World Championships in China in December.