PNG’s best five given scholarships

THE country’s top five athletes were awarded scholarship by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following their performances at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.
These athletes are: Salome Dell (athletics), Nelson Stone (athletics), Steven Kari (weightlifting), Ryan Pini (swimming) and Toea Wisil (athletics).
They were given scholarships to prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
PNG Sports Federation and Olympic Committee deputy secretary-general Auvita Rapilla said the athletes gathered signed their agreements for their respective scholarships except for Steven Kari who is currently in New Caledonia continuing his high performance training at the Oceania Weightlifting Centre.
Rapilla said the Olympic Scholarship programme offers national olympic committees (NOC) the possibility to obtain financial and technical assistance for a selected number of elite athletes who are training and attempting to qualify for the London Olympics.
The scholarship comes in two forms:
1) The “training centre option” where athletes train in a global training centre network established by the Olympic Solidarity (OS) and  administered by OS, a training centre and partner NOC or International Federation (IF); or
2) The “NOC training option” where athletes train in home country or abroad in a centre approved by the NOC.
This option is administered by the NOC in consultation with respective national federations and IF.
She added that all our athletes will take up the NOC training option.
The value of each scholarship is US$1,200 (K3,636) per month and operational from  Sept 1 this year until  Aug 31 2012.
Rapilla said the PNGSFOC was pleased to have secured five scholarships out of the eight applications submitted to the IOC.