Lae auction raises K211,000

 PAPUA New Guinea Olympic committee president Sir John Dawanicura hailed the support from the Lae business houses who raised K211,000 from buying Trukai Fun Run t-shirts on Wednesday.
He thanked Trukai Industries for its 29-year relationship with the country’s sports sector, describing this year’s fundraisers in Port Moresby (K351,500) and Lae as “the biggest fundraising event” since 2000.
The funds would go to supporting the country to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games and the Youth Olympics.
Companies, who purchased t-shirts at the auction held at the Lae Yacht Club, can print their company logo and give them to 90 elementary, primary, secondary and vocational schools in Lae whose students and staff would wear them during the fun run.
Trukai Indsutries chief executive Greg Worthington-Eyre said the number of shirts this year was 100,000 – an increase of 5,000 from last year’s 95,000.
“This is the largest social sporting event in the Pacific and these shirts are walking billboards and are great investment and marketing tool,” Worthington-Eyre said.
“We hope to make 2014 fun run the biggest and best ever.” The event attracts thousands of participants annually for the morning walk. Two tones of rice were also given out to the companies.