Moderator Siai to kick off soccer carnival

UNITED Church of Papua New Guinea moderator Bernard Siai will kick off the Eastern Papua Carnival (EPC) on Saturday.
This year, a total of 32 men’s sides and 11 women’s teams have raised their hand to battle for the EPC title.
The EPC executive committee, headed by president Joyce Grant, has decided that in order to realign the carnival with the original objectives of the founding fathers of EPC, this year’s theme will be “God Speed”.
The main objective of EPC is to promote a sense of unity and present a forum for Milne Bay people living in the nation’s capital to bond and forge a positive identity.
Founded in 1978, the initial concept of EPC was to unite people from the Eastern Papua area to address social challenges faced in that era.
In 1978, the founding fathers decided that the best catalyst to achieve the goal of uniting the Eastern Papuan people residing in the National Capital District was a football tournament, hence the birth of the annual event.
EPC had not only created a tournament but over time, it created a culture of its own.
It added the cultural diversity of Milne Bay into the very fabric of the tournament. Often one will witness feasting, dancing, choir, string bands and joy.
“The main challenge being the high costs involved in staging this event. But despite the challenges, we have worked hard to stage this annual event, one that we wish to continue and develop,” EPC general secretary George Bukoya said in a statement.
Defending champions Maiyela (men) and Solgen (women) will be looking to retain their titles.
But this will not come easy as there will be challenges from teams such as Latama, Okeboma and rookies Kemagu.
During the first weekend, the children’s tournament will be finalised for week two.
Bukoya warned that the organising committee would be very strict on the player eligibility.
“Teams guilty of breaching these rules will find themselves stripped of their points and hit with a K500 fine or risk being expelled from the carnival,” he said.