Madang Games kicks off, six districts take part

 THE Madang Provincial Games is set to kick off today at Laiwaden Oval purposely to select Team Madang for the November Papua New Guinea Games in Kimbe,West New Britain. 

The Madang provincial sports office is working hard to put everything in place before the start of the games.

Provincial sports officer Robin Hevesa said the four-day tournament would see the six districts going head to head for selections for the national games. 

Hevasa said preparations were well underway with districts sports officers lodging team numbers.  “Teams will take part in soccer, volleyball, basketball, karate, kickboxing, dart and touch rugby. 

“Each district will have one team in each division with the only exception to soccer to identify talents so districts can lodge two teams,” he said.

Unfortunately athletics will not be included in this provincial games but will be played in the first term school holidays using the Tusbab and Laiwaden fields,” Hevesa said.

He said other games like softball have established associations and teams would be picked from their regular seasons. 

Hevesa added that Madang Provincial Government, through a K100,00 funding, was the major sponsor of the provincial games but the organisers are hopeful of securing assistance from elsewhere also before the games.

He stated that the provincial games was important for Madang to identify talents especially in soccer to defend its title from the 2014 games in Lae.  

Hevesa thanked sponsors of the last provincial games, namely RD Tuna Canners, Cassel Agencies, Ramu NiCo Management, Madang open MP Nixon Duban.