Waiwai lauds Team PNG’s performance

The PNG Olympic Committee has praised the national federations which prepared their teams well for an outstanding overall performance by Team PNG at the recent Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu.
PNGOC secretary-general Auvita Rapila said the 10 federations involved had done very well and that showed in Team PNG winning 33 gold, 30 silver and 22 bronze medals at the Games.
Team PNG chef de mission Emma Waiwai, during a welcome home function on Wednesday night, acknowleged the tireless commitment of PNGOC in preparing Team PNG for the Pacific Mini Games.
“The board and staff of the PNGOC, your commitment in ensuring that Team PNG is well prepared with your limited resources is commendable. We had a plan and the results were achieved is a measure of the efforts involved in putting it all together,” Waiwai said.
“I commend the federations for preparing the athletes well, and they have made the nation proud.” She said it was our weightlifters who got things started when they claimed 14 gold and four silver medals and set a new Games records.
“Morea Baru set a new Games record in the men’s 62kg snatch with a lift of 129kg, two more than the old record which had stood for 26 years..
“Dika Toua set a new record in the women’s 53kg clean and jerk category with a lift of 110kg, and a new Games record with the total weight of 190kg,” Waiwai said.