Who is elite

By HENRY MORABANG
A PROVINCIAL official is calling on the Papua New Guinea Games Council to quickly define who is an “elite athlete”.
Team National Capital District general manager John Boino yesterday said each sport had it own classification of elite, or the representative players, during the grassroots games from Nov 19-30 in Kokopo, East New Britain.
Boino said the PNG Games Council must make its definition known and then monitor teams at the Games.
Athletics Union president Tony Green yesterday said the Games Charter gave authority to national sport federations to define who was an elite athlete in their sport and to what extent they could take part in the Games.
The PNG Games Council Charter has no clear rules on elite athletes – whether they are members of provincial or a national team.
This opens up the possibility that the term “elite” could be treated differently by each sport.
Boino said basketball and netball may have similar classifications.
Both sports can have two elite players in a squad but only one player can be on the court at any one time.
But the rule could be applied differently in other sports as well.
In athletics, elite members can only be members of a relay event to provide stiffer competition to grassroots athletes.
Olympic representatives Toea Wisil and Nelson Stone are two of the seven elite squad members Green has announced for the games.
Boino admitted that Team NCD had a number of elite players, especially as they were taking part in the NCD suburban competitions in volleyball, basketball, soccer, touch football and rugby league.
Many of those players were selected because of their involvement with the NCD grassroots competition.
Boino said the PNG Games Council should allow a limited number of elite athletes per province whom grassroots competitors could look up to and challenge.
The uncertainty over who is an elite athletes is likely to spark controversy at the Games.