Nine sports for Delhi Games

THE PNG Sports Federation has endorsed nine sports for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, from Oct 3-14.
The sports endorsed by the  Justification Committee are athletics (including paralympic athletics), boxing, lawn bowls (men and women), squash, tennis, weightlifting (including paralympic power lifting) and swimming, while netball and rugby 7s are subject to confirmation by the Commonwealth Games Association.
Past medal winners Ryan Pini (swimming) and Dika Toua (weightlifting) are expected to lead the charge for PNG in Delhi.
PNGSF secretary general Sir John Dawanincura said yesterday netball and rugby 7s would depend on the outcome of Fiji’s appeal after they were thrown out as a Commonwealth member.
Sir John said the Justification Committee is scheduled to meet on May 26-27.
The meeting is for each sport and the Justification Committee where the sports will be required to justify the inclusion of their athletes and officials.
The games coordinator with the PNGSF, Annie Iamo said all sports must take note ofthese two dates and make themselves available for the meeting with the Justification Committee.
Apart from the Commonwealth Games in India, PNGSF will also be looking at sending a team to the 2010 Olympic Youth Games in Singapore from Aug 14-16 this year.
The PNGSF will outline the details of its international participation in the Singapore Games in the coming months.
Attempts to contact Emily Taule (netball) and Richard Sapias (rugby) were unsuccessful yesterday.
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth after its self-appointed leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama refused to hold elections this year.
Commomwealth leaders in their meeting in Trinidad and Tobago last November “observed that Commonwealth sporting events represent a significant public demonstration of the unity of the Commonwealth as a family of members with a shared commitment to fundamental values. They affirmed that sporting ties under the Commonwealth name are inseparable from the values of the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA).”