League 9s get cut

PNGOC drops three sports from Team PNG for Pacific Games

PAPUA New Guinea’s supposed number one sport, rugby league, will not be represented at the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands from Nov 19 to Dec 2.
The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee’s Justification Committee dropped the bombshell in a press release yesterday in which it announced the exclusion of three sports from Team PNG citing a failure to meet the committee’s requirements.
The other sports are judo and sailing.
This dents one of the aims of Team PNG to try and win an away Games by taking three potential medal-winning sports.
PNG’s rugby league (men) side having won gold and silver at the last two Games (2015 and 2019).
The PNG Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) have appealed the decision of the Justification Committee to PNG Sports Dispute Tribunal but were unsuccessful in having the decision overturned.
The PNGOC said all three sports failed to meet the required benchmark, justification deadlines and criteria.
“PNGRFL did not fulfill the justification committee requirements by the set deadline,” PNGOC said last night.
“These include the submission of a signed selection policy, submission of its final squad for justification committee endorsement, and did not participate in the two mandatory screening and fitness tests.”
It has set a strict deadline and outlined critical requirements for participation by urging all sports targeting participation to meet their requirements by the Sept 6 deadline.
PNGRFL told the media last week during the appointment of new Kumuls coach Justin Holbrook that a team for the Pacific Games would be announced this week.
Aside from the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup and the SP PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup, the PNGRFL have been preparing for the Prime Ministers’ 13 fixture next month followed by the Pacific Championship Bowl tournament to be hosted in Port Moresby.
Attempts to get comments from the PNGRFL yesterday were unsuccessful.
This will be the first time that PNG has not fielded nines teams at the Pacific Games after winning gold in the 2015 Games in Port Moresby, when the code was first introduced, with the help of SP Hunters players.
PNG failed to defend the gold in Apia, Samoa in 2019, losing the gold medal playoff with a team that featured Under-23 players from the Digicel Cup.
The PNGOC said while many athletes and teams had already received provisional endorsements and were undergoing training, attending national championships, and participating in international events, they still had to adhere to the Justification Committee’s requirements.
“This ensures their preparedness and potential performance levels are up to standard for selection onto Team PNG.”
PNGOC has urged all athletes, officials, coaches, and team managers to complete three obligatory online courses this month on anti-doping, athlete safeguarding, and the prevention of the manipulation of competition. For coaches and team managers who are yet to be certified under the Oceania Sports Education Program (OSEP), they are reminded to fulfill pre-course requirements before attending the development coach, strength and conditioning, and team managers courses early next month.
PNGOC secretary-general Auvita Rapilla emphasised the significance of these pre-requisites.
“These courses are compulsory. Athletes and officials who don’t complete these requirements cannot participate in the games.” She said PNGOC would continue to focus on ensuring that Team PNG represented the best of the country’s athletes and aligns with the high standards set for international competition.
Meanwhile, Team PNG chef de mission Faye Zina Lalo said the final squad lists for all sports had to be submitted by next Wednesday (Sept 6) which was the deadline for submissions and endorsement by the justification committee.
“All lists (provisional) were submitted during the Juctification Committee’s meeting for endorsement but final squads including non-travelling reserves are required to be submitted by Sept 6,” Lalo told The National yesterday.
“The committee will communicate with any sport that has not submitted their final squads but teams have been cooperating with their submissions.”