K2.7m needed for Team PNG

Sports

THE Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) needs to raise K2.7 million to send Team PNG to the  Mini Pacific Games in Vanuatu later this year, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia next year.
PNGOC secretary-general Auvita Rapila revealed this when giving an update on the 2017 Prime Minister’s Corporate Golf challenge played in Port Moresby recently.
She said the proposed budget for Team PNG’s participation at the Dec 5-17 event in Port Vila, Vanuatu, was K1.5 million while the budget for the 2018 Commonwealth Games was K1.28 million.
PNGOC is at the mercy of corporate companies and the government to attend these two major sporting events this year and next year. The Port Moresby event is one of two corporate golf challenges to help raise funds to support PNGOC for its representative teams.
Rapilla said the Port Moresby event last week fell short of its target.
“We were hoping to raise K100,000 for the Port Moresby event but only managed K81,000,” she said.
“This year, we (PNGOC) are just focusing on raising funds for the Pacific Mini Games first.”
Rapilla added that the Lae Corporate Golf Challenge scheduled for this weekend would have to be deferred as it would clash with the Morobe Show on the same weekend.
The Lae golf challenge is the committee’s other fundraising event to sent Team PNG.