SHP governor pumps in K450,000 to Games effort

SOUTHERN Highlands is preparing to send 250-strong participants to the PNG Games in Kokopo, East New Britain in November.
Chairman of the Team Southern Highlands Benson Yapo told The National earlier this week from Mendi that they would be taking part in 10 codes.
Yapo said these were basketball, soccer, touch footy, rugby league 9s, rugby union 7s, dart, kickboxing, volleyball, disabled sports, and athletics.
He said the participants went into training since July and now hard at training to give other provinces good competition.
He said that players selected for different codes trained in each district like in Nipa, it only concentrated on basketball, Erave – soccer, Lake Kutubu – Volleyball, Pangia high school – athletics, and other codes in Mendi.
“I and my committee give one code to each district to involve raw talent and expose them to the national games,” he said.
Yapo said the provincial government under the leadership of Governor William Powi assisted the Team Southern Highlands with K450,000 this year.
He said the national government assisted them K200, 000 for the airfares, the same with any other provinces.
He said that donation letters were written to business houses and individuals in the province to come forward and assist the team in kind and cash.
He said from the letters written and sent out, not one responded favorably to letter.
Yapo said that it’s a provincial team and involving players from the five districts in the province.
He also appealed to the four Open members and governor to also come in and assist the team.
“We have about six weeks left and there is hope that some business houses and individuals in the province will come forward and help get the team to Kokopo,” Yapo said.
Yapo said that three weeks left before departing for Kokopo, they would hold fund raising activities in Port Moresby.
He added that they still need more money to meet their expenses like accommodation, food, transport, medical fees and other related cost.
He thanked provincial government for its continuous support of the provincial team at past PNG Games.