Ready

Sport

South Pacific Games Ready Set Go!

The biggest Games go for the Gold

By Martin Tiffany

BY the 23rd of this month the Ninth South Pacific Games will be over the races run, the games played and the win ners and losers de cided.

But, from September 7 to 23 Papua New Guinea, as hosts for the largest gathering of South Pacific people, will be in the limelight. This is their chance to improve their public image, badly dam aged by wide publicity of their crime problems, especially in Port Moresby and Lae the two centers for the Games.

With around 2500 competitors and officials expected for the largest Games to date, PNG are confident that they can provide not only adequate security but some of the best sporting facilities in the region. Nearly USSI million has been spent on security with about 1202 policemen and women and 400 defence force soldiers to be deployed to provide 24-hour security. Several countries have demanded guaranteed safety for their teams and PNG has moved to reassure regional countries of the safety of their competitors.

Acting Prime Minister, Akoka Doi, said they could confidently guarantee the safety of visitors and athletes to the Games. He blamed Australian media reports of law and order problems in PNG for sparking the concerns from several South Pacific countries.

A curfew that was imposed on Lae and Port Moresby will continue during the Games. PNG Minister for Trade and Industry, John Giheno, said the govern ment has decided to extend the curfew to ensure the Games are trouble-free. The curfew hours will remain from 10pm to sam.

PNG has asked each participating country to sign an indemnity by the end of this month and to take out their own insurance policy that will cover every thing from theft to personal insurance.

This policy is (o cover them from when they leave their country to when they return.

Kiribati has pulled out of the Games because of continual reports of public unrest in Papua New Guinea. The country had initially decided to send a contingent of 60 but spokesman for Social Welfare and Sports, Nanimatang Karon a, said because of the continued

Beryl Cook

All set: Vanuatu champion Jerry Jeremiah during final workout

public violence and unrest in PNG, Kiribati has changed its mind.

He said the Kiribati Amateur Sports Association did not want to be held responsible for anything that might happen to team members.

The main venue for the Games will be the Sir John Guise Regional Sport ing Complex at Waigani where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held. This massive 12 million kina investment was made possible by the Government of China, which provided the major funding under concessional arrangements.

China provided an interest-free loan of nine million kina while the National Capital District Commission gave 1.5 million kina and the South Pacific Games Foundation 1.6 million kina.

It will be the venue for track and field events and basketball in the indoor sports stadium the biggest in the South Pacific.

A trade exhibition by the Trade and Industry Department will also be held at the complex, which will also provide facilities for the sale of PNG artifacts and souvenirs.

During the Games, the complex will serve as the nerve centre for a com munications network that includes elec tronic transmission of Games results.

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, will open the Games on the September 7 and according to Games executive director Vili Maha the opening will be fell lowed by a typical Pacific ceremony, but with a distinct PNG flavour.

All competitors and officials will gather in Port Moresby for the opening and then a shuttle plane will transport those going to Lae. The shuttle will be operating between the two cities throughout the Games. The closing ceremony will feature the lowering of the ceremonial flag which will be

Going for Gold: the champion Cooks netball team with Australian cheerleadears

Athletics (men and women):

handed to French Polynesia, the hosts of the 1995 Games.

In Lae, the 16 million kina Morobe Sports Complex, featuring an interna tional standard stadium, an indoor complex, a pool, netball courts and a rugby league oval, has been built for the Games, again using concessional funding arrangements. The Exim Bank, of Tokyo, and the PNG government pro vided the loan, which will be repaid over 15 years.

The Morobe Complex, built by Japanese company Kumaigai Gumi, will be the .venue for boxing and table tennis.

Lae will also host bowls at the Lae Bowling Club and golfers at the Lae Golf Club.

Lae will be the venue for lawn bowls, boxing, golf, soccer, table tennis, volley ball and weightlifting while Port Moresby will host athletics, basketball, board sailing, hobie 16 sailing, cricket.

lawn tennis, netball, rugby, softball squash and swimming.

PNG has spent 46 million kina (U 5546.77 million) on the Games which compares with NZ$B4 million (U 5546.41 million) spent on last year’s Auckland Commonwealth Games.

There are 18 sports being catered for in the Papua New Guinea games, six more than the past games in Noumea in 1987.

Andy Seward, the deputy executive director for the South Pacific Games Foundation, says with revenue coming in during the Games they ‘‘hope to break even.” The government has promised to release public servants on full pay to help out at the Games. The Central Bank has released for the games a 50 toea coin with the Games logo on it and plastic two-kina and 10-kina notes.

According to Jan Waddy, at the Games headquarters, many countries have had to cut their contigents because

of a lack of funds. Tonga, for example, don’t have enough money to take their rugby team. Waddy said there were 3500 competitors and officials originally booked. Now PNG have the biggest contingent with 422 competitors and they will compete in every sport.

Making their debut at the Games is the Federated States of Micronesia, entering teams in volleyball and basket ball.

The countries competing in the Games are: Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Northern Marianas, Nauru, Niue, Norfolk Islands, New Caledonia, PNG, French Polynesia, Solomon Islands, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Marshall Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Those that have withdrawn are Tu valu, Palau, Kiribati and Tokelau. For those who are going to PNG, the stage is set, and the curtain about to rise. It is time go for gold. □