PNG Kung Fu association joins world body

THE Oceania Kung Fu Wushu president, Walt Missingham, pictured, advised a recent executive board meeting in Macau, China, that the Kung Fu Wushu Associations of PNG, Samoa and the Solomon Islands had been accepted as International Wushu Federation members.
“It is a credit to the work being done on the ground in these countries,” Missingham said.
“Oceania is becoming the next big region for Kung Fu Wushu.
“PNG, Samoa and Solomon Islands join Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia as Oceania lWUF members,” he said.
The Background – Kung Fu Wushu:
Kung Fu/Wushu is the national sport of China.
It combines traditional Chinese medicine, military sciences, aesthetics and philosophy and not only serves the purpose of developing physical fitness but also helps to calm and steady the mind.
The practice of this elegant art unifies and balances not only the physical body, but the mind and emotions as well.
Kung Fu/Wushu is an absolutely integral part of China’s culture and has a rich philosophical content that celebrates the diversity of life and is deeply respectful of the natural environment. In Kung Fu/Wushu, we see a unique distillation of China’s 5000 years of civilization.
Kung Fu/Wushu is, in itself, an important element of Chinese civilization and has helped to define the Chinese national character and psyche.
It is rightly regarded by some people as one of China’s most valuable cultural gifts to the world. China is now one of PNG’s biggest trading partners.
The bilateral economic relationship continues to develop rapidly. With such tremendously important ties, it is vital that China and PNG improve their mutual understanding of and respect for each other — and sport is an excellent medium for achieving such understanding and respect.
About Kung Fu Wushu Association of PNG:
The name of the Association is Kung Fu Wushu Federation of PNG but operates as Kung Fu Wushu PNG (KWPNG).
It was formed in 2014 and formally incorporated this year.
It is a member of PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC) and a member of the Oceania Kung Fu Wushu Federation (OKWF).
OKWF is the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) recognised regional governing body for Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu, Wushu, Taichi, Sanda) in Oceania.
Our Vision:
To develop Kung Fu/Wushu into a broadly-based, professionally managed and dynamic sport.
The 2018-2023 Strategic Plan of the Association addresses the key strategic priorities of Sport Development, Business Development and High Performance through which we hope to achieve our six stated objectives whilst continuing to respect Chinese martial arts’ intrinsic values of trust, respect and fairness.
Executive Management Team
The Kung Fu Wushu Association of PNG has a five-member management group:
President – Geoff Hui, General secretary – Kible Bonga, Treasurer – Iammo Gapi Launa, Wushu Development Officer – Andrew Molen, Lawyer – Moses Koiri.
President Hui is a pioneer in the code and also represented PNG in Weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games in 1974, and winning gold in the South Pacific Games in 1971 and 1975.
General secretary Bonga has a long association with sports both as a player and administrator with Port Moresby Soccer Association.
He is an economist by profession with over 20 years of experience in the banking and finance industry.
Treasurer Launa is a respected figure in PNG sports as a player and administrator. From 1984 to 1995, she represented PNG in the Pacific Games, Asian Games, World Games and Olympic Games with distinction.
As a sports administrator, she is the former CEO of the PNG Sports Foundation, Chair PNG Olympic Association and a board member of Cricket PNG.
Development officer Molen is a martial artist and athlete.
He has practiced martial arts for more than 10 years with Kung Fu (Shaolin Wushu) and Karate (Shotokan Budokai).
Lawyer Koiri is the executive partner of Albatross Law, the legal firm representing the interests of the association.
Moses is also a prominent sportsman himself and represented PNG in basketball in the South Pacific Games and is an active sports administrator.