Kamane at Invictus Games

By ISAAC LIRI
FORTY-five-year-old Philip Kamane, pictured, is the first Papua New Guinean to officiate athletics at the fourth edition of the Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia.
The event, which is held for wounded war personnel who are now living with a disability, has 18 countries competing in 11 sports.
Papua New Guinea is not one of the 18 but will contribute to the games through Kamane who was selected by Oceania Athletics.
The Goroka-based senior sports officer will be officiating as a member of the crew monitoring athletes at the starting line.
Before leaving for Sydney on Oct 17, the man from Ku village in the Chimbu acknowledged Oceania Athletics and Athletics PNG for giving him the opportunity to attend the games.
“The Invictus Games just started a few years back. I think I’m going to be the first Papua New Guinean to actually officiate athletics there so I’m humbled by that,” he said.
“Not many Papua New Guineans are aware of the Invictus Games and I look forward to learning from this experience.”
Prior to Kamane becoming one of the country’s leading athletics officials in athletics, he was a long-distance runner and competed at the 1995 Arafura Games (10,000 and 5000m). After retiring in 1997, the teacher by profession, dedicated his time as a sporting official and has three International Association of Athletics Federations-accredited certificates – Kids Athletics Certificate, Technical Officiating Scheme Level One and Qualified Road Measurement.
Kamane officiated at the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, the 2013 Mini-Pacific Games in Wallis and Futuna, and two Oceania championships in Cairns (2013) and on the Gold Coast (2014).
He was also in charge of marking the track in Kimbe prior to last year’s PNG Games.
Kamane acknowledged National Sports Institute director Janet Gimots for approving his travel to the Invictus Games.