Testing of athletes kicks off

PAPUA New Guinea High Performance Sport (PNGHPS) kicked off testing and screening for Team Papua New Guinea athletes yesterday, in preparation for this year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
PNGHPS manager Cornelius Papau told The National yesterday that they were given approval by the national pandemic response controller to begin preparations for Olympic hopefuls.
Testing will continue until tomorrow before PNGHPS submits its reports to the PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC).
“Our main focus is on Team PNG for the Olympic Games, so we’re working around the clock with PNGOC to get the athletes in,” Papau said.
“We are still adhering to the Covid-19 protocols, so athletes need to understand that.
“National federations need to encourage them to comply with the measures. The important part is their long-term preparations.
“The lockdown (of the facilities) has disrupted our operations and training for the athletes.
“With approval for training to resume, we now have athletes coming in to work with us.
“It’s important for athletes to come in for strengthening and conditioning as well as physiotherapy before they go to Tokyo for the Olympic Games.”
Papau said he was concerned about Team PNG athletes accessing other gyms to train.
“It’s important for the athletes and the national federations to understand that we monitor their performance,” he said.
“It’s better for them to train under us.”