University of PNG schools compete in unity games

By ROBINSON LEKA
THE University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) yesterday launched its first Unity Games with schools competing across eight sports.
UPNG student services director Roboam Kakap said the concept of the Games was to discourage regionalism and promote unity among students throughout the three-day festival.
“We’re trying to discourage ethnic groups within the schools, so we’re working with the existing structure which is the schools that are already mixed,” he told The National.
“We’re starting with eight sports that will be played among the five schools which also include the school of medicine from the Taurama campus.
“We’ve decided to bring together everyone in what we call the unity festival for students to come and play in teams.
“The competition is organised in schools, so the festival will be the battle of the schools.
“We’d like to make this an annual event especially around this time of the year when students are on their mid-year break, so that they are kept occupied through sports.”
Kakap said the festival also provided an avenue for UPNG and national sporting federations to work together in identifying and promoting talents.
“We’ve recently worked with the PNG Rugby Football league and PNG Sports Foundation,” he said.
“We’d like to see students using this festival as a platform to pursue a career in sports.
“Sports in the country have gone up another level and there’s a greater need to involve educated elites in the industry to help develop the codes.”