Your form guide to the Games

A guide to performance at the South Pacific Games in Port Moresby is to be found in the per formances in the first two Games. On these two pages PIM writers who were on hand at both Noumea and Suva sum up form there. Their summaries should be read in conjunction with the de tailed results of those two Games, on pages 32-33.

Overall point scores

Traditionally, there is no official point-scoring at the South Pacific Games, but as in the Olympic Games the tally of medal winners by each territory is followed with great in terest. In Noumea and Suva four territories have dominated the results —all of them with large populations.

They are Fiji, P-NG, New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

In Noumea, New Caledonia topped the unofficial point-score after taking more gold, silver and bronze medals than any of the other 13 competing countries. In Suva, Fiji had exactly the same success among 12 other competing territories.

These results indicate that a host territory begins with an advantage over its opponents, probably because it can field bigger teams with less expense and with less disruption to their training.

In Noumea, order of points was: New Caledonia, Fiji, French Poly nesia, P-NG, Western Samoa, Nauru, Wallis and Futuna, American Samoa, Tonga, the Cooks, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides and Guam. No points were scored by the GEIC.

In Suva, the order was: Fiji, P-NG, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Tonga, Cooks, American Samoa, Western Samoa, GEIC, New Hebrides. No points were scored by Nauru, Niue and the British Solomons.

Athletics

Fiji (thanks mainly to its women) and New Caledonia (thanks mainly to its men) carried off the bulk of the athletics medals in Noumea and Suva, with the main threat coming from P-NG. But on the basis of results compared with team size, some of the smaller territories did better —notably Nauru.

Both Games showed that the smaller territories could, between them, considerably reduce the medal hopes of the larger territories if

they concentrated on their athletics prowess. The Noumea Games also showed the advantages that were drawn from proper coaching in the three years since Suva. Contestants were fitter and better trained than they were in Suva, and the times were generally better, although not always. Variable weather undoubtedly reduced chances of South Pacific records in Noumea. And Sunday competition, which was against the religious convictions of some terri tories, undoubtedly deprived some contestants of medals.

The Fijians at both Games showed they had great natural ability as athletes.

In Port Moresby: Keep your eye on the smaller territories, and on Fiji’s women. P-NG’s men could shine.

Swimming

The French beat the heck out of everybody in Noumea, Fiji beat all comers in Suva. The French display was the superior one; Suva standards were not high because there was not so much competition at that time.

In Noumea, New Caledonia took all 19 gold medals and missed only three of the 15 silver medals. Star of the swimming, and star of that Games, was a 12-year-old, Marie-Jose

Kersaudy, who took seven gold medals, five in individual events.

Young stars similar to Marie-Jose had done the same thing for Fiji in Suva, and both Games showed that, in swimming, one or two brilliant exponents can scoop the pool.

Noumea showed what everybody suspected after Suva—that South Pacific swim standards would improve with expert coaching and more pools to train in; that native swimmers had especially lacked these facilities. Be tween Games the French installed both coaches and pools.

In Port Moresby: Watch New Caledonia, Fiji and New Guinea battle for places. For real thi ills keep your eye on their youngsters.

Soccer

It’s been a preserve of the French.

New Caledonia and French Polynesia were favourites in both Noumea and Suva, and certainly gave the best displays. They played each other for the gold medal in Noumea (with French Polynesia taking the honour, to the surprise of the crowd).

In Suva, by the luck of the draw the two French teams found them selves playing it out in the semi finals, and New Caledonia emerged winners—to go on and beat Fiji, The French Polynesians had deserved better.

At both Games the Solomon Islanders were great fun.

In Port Moresby: For spectacular soccer, buy a seat when the French are playing. Or the Solomon Islanders.

Rugby

The Rugby standard in Noumea was low. Results there weren’t re garded as an indication of true South Pacific form. New Guinea took out the gold medal in Noumea, and in skill they were streets ahead of the three other contestants —New Cale donia, New Hebrides and Wallis and

Futuna. Fiji and Tonga were missing from Noumea because the timing of the Games December put their players too far out of season. Fiji and Tonga are traditional Rugby rivals—they have been competing against each other in Tests since 1924.

In Suva, they were the main opponents and the Fijians trounced Tonga for a gold medal—although the Fijians had played better Rugby on their Australian tours.

In Port Moresby: The Fijians are the team to watch.

Boxing

Performances varied widely in Noumea and Suva, but generally it was a battle between science and stamina, with stamina taking most of the medals. The central Poly nesians—the Samoans, the Tongans and the Cook Islanders—had most success. They punched harder. Box ing is a popular sport in these terri tories.

Fiji had a commendable record in both Games; P-NG was a disappoint ment in Noumea, after having done reasonably well in Suva.

New Caledonia showed signs of future development in Noumea, not having been represented at Suva be cause of affiliation difficulties.

In Port Moresby: Prowess will vary widely in the different divisions. But watch the West Samoans, keep half an eye on the New Caledonians—and regret the absence of the crowd pleasing Cook Islanders.

Basketball

The French Polynesians the Tahitians—were superior in men’s basketball in both Games, and also in women’s basketball in Noumea.

The French Polynesian men’s team was first-class in all departments, and results of the first two Games seemed to indicate that the French would continue to dominate this sport in the South Pacific. In women’s basketball, the P-NG team was prominent, but not superior, at both Games.

In Port Moresby: French Polynesia for favourite, with an eye on P-NG’s women.

Volleyball

It’s been an all-French affair in both Noumea and Suva. In Noumea, French Polynesia, New Caledonia

and Wallis divided up the medals for men’s and women’s games, but American Samoa was also prominent in Suva.

Volleyball is a popular Polynesian sport, played in the villages often with a fishing net strung between two palms.

In Port Moresby: The French should continue to be the exponents.

Netball

The old-style version of women’s basketball was played only in Noumea, and the Cook Islanders slaughtered all opposition.

In Port Moresby: As the Cook Islanders won’t be competing, look for new exponents.

Weightlifting

It wasn’t contested in Suva, and in Noumea some Fiji representatives were upset by food poisoning, so what happened there might not be a true guide to South Pacific form. But the Fiji team, New Guineans and the West Samoans dominated.

In Port Moresby: Watch Fiji.

Your form guide to the Games

Tennis

The French played the more brilliant tennis in both Noumea and Suva. In Noumea, New Caledonia took all the gold medals, and deserved them, but they were pushed by Fiji and New Guinea.

Tennis standards appear to be higher in territories with the biggest transient European populations; players from other territories have lacked experience. Teamwork has been the secret of success at both Games, despite individual brilliance.

In Noumea the “lawn tennis” was on concrete.

In Port Moresby: For fine play, watch the French, but have a saver on New Guinea for victories.

Table tennis

The French and Fiji dominated all table tennis in Noumea and Suva.

Both were well served by Chinese players, whose Oriental qualities of patience and persistence gave them a flying start.

French Polynesia was easily superior in Noumea, and New Cale donia was defeated by the slightly more skilful Fiji team in Suva. The P-NG men’s team did take a bronze medal m Noumea, as a slight revenge for their cry of “we wuz robbed!” in Suva under the knock-out system then operating. They thought they would have had a better showing under a points system. Best South Seas table tennis exponents appear to be found among the more sophisticated populations, who have more time to devote to the art.

In Port Moresby: Keep your eye firmly on the French, with half the other one on New Guinea.

Yachting, Softball, Judo and

Golf

All being staged for the first time.

Pick your own favourites!

Moresby's Games will present yachting for the first time. A triangular 12-mile course off Paga Point, in Fairfax Harbour, has been selected for Fireball Class yachts like this one.