Chinese president hails PNG’s affinity with table tennis

Posted on The National

Chinese President Xi Jinping, one of the most powerful persons in the world, is delighted with Papua New Guinea’s affinity with table tennis.
National table tennis representative Geoffery Loi had written to Xi on July 15 but never thought that the 66-year-old would respond to his letter.
The Tubusereia villager was taken by surprise when Chinese Embassy deputy chief of mission Yao Ming delivered Xi’s letter to him at the Convention Centre in Port Moresby yesterday.
In his letter, Xi wrote: “I have received your letter, dated July 15, which reminds me of my visit to PNG last year when I watched you and your teammates training with Chinese coaches.
“I am delighted to hear that you all love learning the Chinese language and culture as well as ping pong (table tennis).
“Congratulations to you and the PNG table tennis team for delivering a great performance at the Pacific Games and making your country proud.
“I wish you and your team still greater success.”
Yao said China valued its relationship with PNG through sports and economic ties.
“We will continue to support table tennis in the country as it is the national sport in China,” he said.
Loi said he was grateful to Xi for taking some time out of his busy schedule and to respond to his letter.
“This shows that he (Xi) supports PNG sportsmen and women in their careers,” he said. PNG Table Tennis Federation president George Shao praised the continued support of China and the Chinese business community in the country.
“We are again sending four athletes — Geoffrey, David Loi, Maryann Hane and Leah Taru — to Shanghai University in China to undergo table tennis training for two weeks.
“I thank the China Table Tennis College for it support in helping develop table tennis in the country.”

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/chinese-president-hails-pngs-affinity-with-table-tennis/

BIG SHAME! THE BAVA PARK RUGBY UNION STADIUM HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO A LIVING QUARTERS

By Frank A Makanuey - PNG Blogs

The dressing room at the Bava park rugby union stadium has been converted into a living quarter's. Big games cannot be hosted there due to the lack of a proper dressing room. 

Is NSTL a State-Owned Enterprise? Is NSTL owned by PNG Sports Foundation?

Prior to the Pacific Games in 2015, the PNG Sports Foundation under the former Minister Justin Tkachenko conducted automatic acquisition of the sporting fields around the Bisini - Boroko area and improved it for the games. Soccer, Softball, Netball, Rugby Union, Cricket and AFL fields including the land where the Botanical Garden used to be but was being used by Port Moresby Softball as the carpark.

All these fields are now managed by a company, a business arm of the Png Sports Foundation which now manages these infrastructures. The company is called NSTL, or National Stadiums Trust Limited.

Can the Minister responsible for Sports answer the following questions? I believe the Ministry of Sports still remains with the Prime Minister and Wesley Ramin as the Vice Minister.

1. Does the company come under the SOE, if not, why not?
2. PNG Sports Foundation is a public service institution. Can a Government Department own and operate a Business?
3. To whom does the Company make Declarations and where does the profit margin go to and who benefits out of them.
4. Is this company a private company, a trust, or a Government Department-owned business. And who are the Board of Directors of this company?
5. Can Sir John Pundari and the Parliament Public Accounts Committee inquiry into their Finances, Legality and Operations?
5. Are the Land Titles of the Bava Rugby Park, Bisini Soccer, and Softball and Netball grounds registered under this Company?

I believe this company is illegal. I believe the company National Stadiums Trust Limited (NSTL) is an illegal company set up by PNG Sports Foundation to manage all the stadiums. This company now owns and operates the Stadiums at the Bisini, and regularly receives rental payments from Rugby Union, Soccer, AFL, Netball and Softball for the usage of the fields once owned and operated by the sports.

I believe the Board of Directors of NSTL will one day own these Stadiums.

If the EMTV saga requires an immediate undertaking to be investigated, by the same token, the same must be applied to Png Sports Foundation and NSTL.

By the way, the dressing room at the Bava Rugby Union has been converted into an accommodation to house one of the NSTL employees.

What's going on Minister?

Tomorrow the Oceania Rugby Union Cup will be played at the Sir John Guise Stadium, because the Visiting Teams from Solomons Islands, Niue and Nauru cannot use the Dressing Room at the Bava Park to change and play.

What's going on Mr Minister? Please explain. I have asked these same questions since 2017, and to date no one has responded. I asked again 5 days ago on this forum. Silence.

I will continue to ask until I get some kind of response from the Minister. It seems this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to PNG Sports Foundation since the 2015 Pacific Games.


Go to this link for more: http://www.pngblogs.com/2019/08/big-shame-bava-park-rugby-union-stadium.html

Wisil does it again

Posted on The National

PAPUA New Guinea sprint champion Toea Wisil once again defended her Pacific Games title after taking out the women’s 100m final in 11.56 seconds in Apia, Samoa, yesterday.
Fiji’s Heleina Young finished in 11.82 seconds to claim silver and PNG’s Leonie Beu (11.94 seconds) secured bronze.
Wisil, who ran 11.50 seconds in the morning’s qualifying heats, was happy with the time she finished with in the final.
Beu finished first in heat three, clocking 11.95 seconds.
“It feels good to be winning as I have been working hard for this for a long time,” she said.
“For this one, to be honest from the beginning it was a rough time, but I’ve done it.”
Wisil, who won bronze in the same event at the 2007 Samoa Pacific Games, said: “I was 19 years old then. It feels good to come back and win gold on this track.”
Silver medallist Heleina Young, who is just 17, was thoughtful in her reflection when speaking after the final.
“Before I went in, my coach told me that this day would never come again,” she said.
“I knew coming in to the final that it would be really tough, especially against Toea (Wisil), who is someone of a high calibre.”
Meanwhile, Athletics PNG president Tony Green said in a statement that the men’s 100m final was a showdown between Pacific Games defending champion Banuve Tabacaucoro (Fiji) and Samoa’s Jeremy Dodson.
“It was the Fijian who came out on top, beating his own Games record of 10.33 seconds with 10.31 clocking, silencing the home crowd in the process.
“(Team PNG’s) Michael Penny and Theo Piniau made the final, and finished sixth and seventh respectively.”

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/wisil-does-it-again/

WATCH OUT FOR 14 YEAR OLD RISING STAR

Posted by Skerah PNG

You could be mistaken that this is a a photo (taken by M Baru) is of a young girl posing with a medal in hand – a medal possibly won by her mum, dad, elder brother or sister at the Pacific Games currently underway in Samoa.  But not so.  This is Idau Vagi – showing off her Silver medal won in the 40kg category under the Oceania competition at the Pacific Games.

Vagi is among a handful of lifters released from the weightlifting factory in Hanuabada to take on the Pacific.  And make no mistake, PNG’s prospects of dominating the competition in the next decade is still intact with promising performances like Vagi’s.

At just 14 , Vagi is the youngest member of the PNG contingent currently in Samoa.

Her looks are deceiving indeed.  Innocent looking face coupled with a body frame fit for following mum and dad around the shopping mall, Vagi instead is following heavy weights and medals around the Pacific.

Inspired by watching her heroes Toua, Toua Udia, Morea Baru and powerhouse Steven Kari, the young 14 year took up weightlifting at 12 years of age.  There are many young girls and boys just like Vagi who dream about making it big y following the footsteps of their village heroes!

The young kekeni is a Grade 4 student at Hagara Primary School.  From 8am to 2pm she’s busy lifting papers and pencils.  When the clock strikes 4pm, she’s busy at the Hanuabada Weightlifting Gym lifting weights almost double her own weight.

Vagi Idau with former PNG cricketer Mahuru Dai. Both are from Kwaradubuna Clan in Hanuabada

One person who probably isn’t as surprised  as many of us are is the owner of the Hanuabada Weightlifting Gym, Douglas Mea.

Douglas Mea is synonymous with success and the master coach behind PNG’s powerful weightlifting duo in Dika Toua and Steven Kukuna Kari.  If there is ever anyone deserving of Knighthood in sport, Mea should have been Knighted long gone.  The lack of resources and  support, the consistency in his achievements and the fact that he keeps on pumping out a champion after champion one wonders what more can this man do to be officially recognized as champion himself.

Be that as it may, that little hump hasn’t prevented Mea a single bit and young lifters like Idau Vagi is testament to that.

Vagi is the daughter of proud parents Vagi Tau and Nou Reva from the Kwaradubuna Clan of Hanuabada – a clan also renown for producing national cricketers in the likes of Rarua Dikana and Mahuru Dai and in rugby league, Kumuls (late) Dikana Boge and brother Philip.

For a young girl, she has quite a hectic schedule with school and training taking much of the time.  Aside from this, she says she likes to spend her free time “telling stories with her friends“.

And what’s your favorite food, we ask.  Surprisingly, it’s SNAX biscuits – the food the PNG Athletics team are trying to keep away from!

And what is this kekeni’s ambitions?  What does the future hold for her with this promising performances?

Vagi has her sights on training hard to compete in as many Pacific Games as she can and the ultimate – participating in the Olympics.  It’s a big call but a positive one indeed to see someone still small dream big – dreams much much bigger than her very own Hanuabada Village.

Go to this link for more: https://skerah.com/sports/watch-out-for-14-year-old-rising-star/