K1mil to offset levy fees

The Government has announced a K1 million investment towards Team Papua New Guinea’s preparations for the Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
The announcement will be a sigh of relief for athletes and federations who are struggling to make ends meet with the Games just two months away.
Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation (PNGSF) board commissioner Lady Ni Cragnolini made the announcement while visiting athletes at the PNGSF’s High Performance division.
“We know that one of the biggest challenges that athletes have is the levy fees that have been imposed upon them by the (Papua New Guinea) Olympic Committee,” she said.
“With the limited funding that we have been able to solicit from the Government, we will be looking at areas that the Government strongly believes there will be return on investment.
“Our athletes are our priority. We have not forgotten our responsibility as the Government.
“Due to the financial position we are in, we may have delayed in coming on board.
“But together, we are going to support Team PNG.
“This means the athletes must also honour their commitment and represent the country well.”
PNGSF chief executive Peter Tsiamalili Jr said the funding would offset all the levy fees imposed on the athletes by the committee.
“The Government’s continued support under the leadership of Prime Minister and Sport Minister Peter O’Neill to take carriage of their levy fees is to ensure all PNG athletes are focused on their preparations and performing well in their competitions,” Tsiamalili said.
“The Government will also be narrowing down its attention by making sure there is return on investment where specific attention will be given to individual sports over team sports.” He said there may be incentives for medal winners, however, the Governments focus would be on making sure there was return on investment, with Lady Ni taking a closer interest on each athlete’s and team’s preparations for the Games.