Pacific

New and old faces on court

The 2012 main season basketball championships tipped off to a great start last Tuesday with some aggressive games and wins. The Cook Islands Basketball Federation was thrilled to welcome back regular players and new faces to the courts at the TSA. Most games were one-sided affairs with dominating teams keen to make their mark early […]

Avatiu dominates Arorangi on new courts

Playing in the great outdoors was welcomed by netball fans but rain forced organisers of Saturday’s Avatiu and Arorangi games at Raemaru Park to postpone the premier grade match. That match was played last night. But for most of Saturday, action packed netball was played in hot and humid conditions. Hosts Arorangi presented a wonderful […]

Call to sports medics

People interested in learning more about first aid on the sports fields and sports medicine are being encouraged to attend a meeting tomorrow night organised by the Sports Medicine Association. The association, a brain-child of sports therapist Janice Clook, aims to train up a number of sports medics in the Cook Islands. Clook said the […]

Gearing up for growth

Women’s rugby sevens training begins today at the BCI Stadium to prepare for the Oceania Qualifier tournament for the 2013 Sevens Rugby World Cup in Russia. The IRB and FORU will be focusing on growing women’s rugby which will be in the 2016 Olympics. At the recent FORU meetings on Rarotonga last week, it was […]

Warriors, Sharks, Sea Eagles eliminated

Physical rugby league matches drew out the crowds on a wet Saturday afternoon for the final round of the 2012 season. At Victoria Park, the top ranked Tupapa Panthers wasted no time in crushing the Takuvaine Warriors 48-8. The Panthers have looked sharp this season and no doubt are confident of a championship title heading […]

Tupapa Maraerenga progress to second stage

Tupapa-Maraerenga premier men’s soccer team progressed to the second stage of the Oceania Preliminary Club Premier competition in Tonga after dispatching American Samoa’s champion club Pago Youth by nine goals to nil. The team went into their match on Friday evening knowing a hefty win would assist with their progress to the second stage. Tupapa-Maraerenga […]

Airline triathlon good for 'wellbeing'

Air New Zealand staff cycled, swam and ran their way to better health last week with a special triathlon organised to promote fitness and wellbeing among staff. All-round athlete and Air New Zealand staff member Paulina Beddoes designed a short triathlon course in Nikao to challenge her colleagues. Over 40 Air New Zealand staff gathered […]

Crunch time

Hard hitting rugby league is on the cards today for fans as the season heads into crunch time. This is the final round of games before the playoffs next week and at Titikaveka the club will host the Bears under 19 grade while the Ngatangiia-Matavera Sea Eagles will host the Avatiu Eels at Nukupure Park […]

8km time to beat 37:06

Lots of surf, missing jandals and loose ama made for much to discuss after Wednesday’s second to last 8km oe vaka time trial. Reuben Dearlove continues his domination in the weekly event crossing the line first in his V1 vaka with a resounding ‘boom’ roar and clocking 37.06. Young oe vaka protg Andre Tutaka-George, paddling […]

National swim-in-schools programme starts

Grade one Papaaroa College students were wide eyed as they received brand new Arena swimming goggles for the start of the swim-in-schools programme. Cook Islands Aquatic Federation members were thrilled to launch the programme at the Titikaveka School where Oceania Swimming Association president Dennis Miller was on hand to see the programme get off the […]

All Black presents 2011 sports awards

All Black Jerome Kaino was the star of the annual sport awards on Wednesday night with the winning athletes of the main category off the island in pursuit of Olympic qualification. Through a news type interview by emcee John Kenning, Kaino shared his journey to becoming an All Black flanker. The light-hearted banter set the […]

Students inspired

The Princess Ann Hall was filled with excited students eager to see All Black star Jerome Kaino on Friday. Tereora College was honoured to have the visiting All Black star as special guest at the Friday assembly. Kaino was welcomed by Tereora’s culture team followed by a cultural performance. Both students and teachers were overjoyed […]

Sharks play Bears

The Aitutaki Sharks will be looking to upset the Arorangi Bears at Vaipae today, when the teams clash in front of a fervent Sharks supporter base. Coming off a narrow loss to the Takuvaine Warriors last week, the Sharks will be looking for some redemption against the Bears in this week’s play. Before they can […]

Tupapa Maraerenga defeat Samoa champs

The race in the Pacific’s Premier Soccer Competition is now a three-horse affair after Tupapa-Maraerenga put themselves in the driving seat with a 2-1 upset win over champion club from Samoa Kiwi. The Kiwi and Tupapa clash was always likely to be one of the tournament’s key fixtures in Tonga. It was a tense contest […]

Financial problems not on AGM agenda

Reports and election of office bearers are the main items on the CISNOC annual general meeting tonight but a few outraged national federation representatives are sure to bring up the issues of financial mismanagement at the national sports body. Roving tennis ambassador Brian Baudinet has voiced his thoughts on issues that need to be addressed […]

The holy grail in downtown Avarua

It’s been six months since the All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup and laid hands on the Webb Ellis Trophy, sending their many black-clad Cook Islander fans into fits of hysteria. But that feeling was coming back to the 300 or so people who gathered in town on Wednesday to catch a glimpse […]

Missing money allegation 'answered'

Allegations of ‘missing money’ from the Olympic Solidarity programme is one of the key issues behind a possible legal action against the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) by Geoff Stoddart and Taki Anaru of the Cook Islands Triathlon Association. Anaru explains that last year when the full extent of CISNOC’s financial woes […]

CISNOC winding up still possible

Missing money and a threat to wind up the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) are not on the national sports body’s annual general meeting agenda tonight, but it’s the most talked about issue in the sports community. Triathlon president Geoff Stoddart and Taki Anaru have accused CISNOC of stealing sports funds from […]

CIRL 2012 Points Table

Rugby heads inspect BCI Stadium and TSA

The spotlight was on the BCI Stadium and Telecom Sports Arena yesterday when Federations of Oceania Rugby Union (FORU) delegates visited the two sporting arenas – the base for the Cook Islands Rugby Union high performance programme and unit. Cook Islands Rugby Union president Chris McKinley proudly showed off the two sporting arenas describing the […]