Organisors rehearse for WYNC

3 August: The Telecom Sports Arena in Nikao came to life on Saturday morning with netball supporters gathered for a morning of rehearsals.

It is after all a proven fact that practise makes perfect.

And so it was that the Pacific Mini Games team tried out the new netball court with a very fast paced match against the men’s Fairies team.

The match gave World Youth Netball Championship organisers the opportunity to iron out any kinks in the programme for the event which starts on Monday August 10.

The morning also saw WYNC volunteers gather for a briefing of their roles when the championships begin.

They along with the WYNC ball girls were given a tour of the complex to get a feel for the newly completed sports arena.

The ball girls also had a drill of what they would be doing during the championships thanks to the training game between the PMG team and the men’s Fairies side.

A good number of the general public also took the opportunity to finally visit the complex. It had just been handed over to the Cook Islands in a formal ceremony on Friday afternoon with around 200 invited guests in attendance.

Those that found their way to the sports arena, which was buzzing with activity, gave the complex a nod of approval which certainly looked better filled with passionate sports people and netballers.

Even a number of the hardworking Chinese workers were seen relaxing in the stands watching the exciting netball match on display in the arena which took them 10 months to build.

Overall there was certainly a buzz of excitement within the complex with the WYNC just seven days away. – MW