Vanuatu para-athletes preparing for national c’ship

By MICHAEL PHILIP
VANUATU para-athletes are currently undergoing preseason training in preparation for a national championship slated for next month in Port Vila, an official says.
Vanuatu Paralympic Committee programme coordinator Timothy Ian Pune told The National that the preseason tournament would help them identify more potential para-athletes in Vanuatu to prepare them for the 2024 national championships in Port Vila. Pune said the tournament came under the annual hub and spoke programme which focused on identifying potential para-athletes in the country.
“The pre-season tourney is all about identifying our potential para-athletes in the country,” Pune said.
“We want to build the numbers of para-athletes team up moving forward and with that I believe what we are doing now is the best way forward to achieve our vision. The events that we are more focused on is 60m and 100m race. Field events: javaline, shortput and discuss.
“We are encouraging communities throughout the six provinces in Vanuatu to participate in this journey by helping us identify and bring forward potential para-athletes. The progress I can see here is the smile on their faces. They are really happy; we take them out from where they are to involve them in sport.
“All we want is to prepare them well for the national championships before sending them to Fiji for further coaching.”