Seven sports to use Games as qualifying event

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The National, Wednesday July 16th, 2014

 By HENRY MORABANG

SEVEN sports will use the 2015 Pacific Games as a qualifier and for ranking points in their world stage.

PNG Olympic Committee secretary-general Auvita Rapila informed all national sports federations that the sports were basketball, cricket, netball, sevens, sailing swimming and weightlifting.

This was agreed and sanctioned by PNG Games Council General Meeting held in Port Moresby early this month of which 21 members out of 22 attended the meeting at Gateway Hotel. These sports were fully endorsed by their respective international federations to use the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby as a qualifier. Rapilla clarified that five sports; sevens, weightlifting, sailing, basketball and cricket were confirmed in 2013 while netball and swimming were only confirmed this year.   She said the sevens would be a International Rugby Board (IRB) world series qualifier, weightlifting would be an International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) qualifier for Rio 2016 and IWF rankings.

The basketball would use the Pacific Games for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, while sailing will count for ISAF ranking points.

Cricket would use the Port Moresby Games in 2015  for ICC rankings point and also the women’s T20 World Cup.

Rapilla said netball would use the 2Games to improve their rankings in the Pacific and also the International Netball Federation (INF) rankings points.

Swimming would use the Games as qualifier for the FINA 2015 World championships, and likely Rio 2016.

Other decisions on sports include : 

  • Hockey – team officials reduced to four in total given playing 5-a-side hockey.
  • Triathlon – sprint aquathlon (750m swim: 5km run) added to programme for next games (PG2015 does not have capacity to add event);
  • Swimming – two new mixed gender relays added to PG2015 (4x50m Freestyle, 4x50m Medley);
  • Shooting – two new pistol events added to list of events for GOC to choose from;
  • ParaSports – powerlifting not included as PNG was only the one that supported the bid.