PNG: Games source of national pride

Organisers of the Papua New Guinea National Games are hopeful the event will help launch athletes to bigger and better things.

More than 10 million kina, or about US$3.5 million, has been pledged to run this year’s games which will take place in November.

The newly-appointed head of the National Games Committee Phil Franklin hopes a more professional approach will help athletes achieve better results, particularly when PNG hosts the South Pacific Games in 2015.

“These games have been sitting in the shadow of the South Pacific Games,” he said.

“This is an opportunity for budding athletes and sports men and women, who are coming up through the ranks, to be identified by talents scouts to move into that next level of competition and represent their country.”

The national games will attract an estimated 9000 athletes from 22 provinces, playing 28 different sports.

Franklin hopes the competition will help develop a new sense of national pride throughout PNG.

“There is nothing like sport to promote national unity and bring people together,” he said.

“That’s largely what these games are about, bringing many cultures and native tongues together to participate against each other in a competitive and friendly manner.”

The 2014 PNG National Games will take place from November 16-29.