Nine members of the PNG Athletics distance squad have been on the Gold Coast since mid December preparing for the World Cross Country Championships which will be held in Bathurst NSW on February 18.
Finding affordable accommodation during the Christmas holiday period was a challenge and Athletics PNG is grateful for the support of Oceania Athletic Association and the City of Gold Coast through its Gold Coast Attract Programme, without which this extended period of final preparations would not have been possible.
The six male athletes (Siune Kagl , Israel Takap , Aquila Turalom , Abel Siune , Dilu Goiye and James Kuadua) are based at Varsity Lakes and the three females (Scholastica Herman , Ongan Awa and Mary Tenge) are at the Gold Coast Performance Centre at Runaway Bay.
APNG has yet to finalise its line up for the three events which are 10km Open races for Men Women10km races and an 8Km mixed relay where two male and two female athletes will each run 2km.
Athletics PNG President Tony Green said that Aina Goir and Mary Kua will fly in from the USA to join the team,but it seems unlikely that any other athletes will be able to join them.
He said that there were one or two athletes identified at the PNG Air National Championships early in December who could have added value to the team,however the process of getting a Birth Certificate through the NID office was a major challenge.
The participation of the PNG Team at the World Cross Country Championships will be the culmination of a World Athletics Funded 27 month project that started in Kerowagi in December 2020 with the aim of developing distance running in PNG and fielding both men’s and women’s teams at this event.
APNG also acknowledged the support of the PNG Olympic Committee through its Team PNG preparation budget, and its own sponsors PNG Air and Prima Smallgoods for the part they have played in the programme.
President Green said that APNG saw the staging of the WXC Championships in NSW as a unique opportunity for its athletes to attend a world championships.
These events are normally held in Europe and this is the first time Australia has ever hosted the World XC.
“We know that we are not going to be competitive with the world best, but sometimes these things are not just about performance. Its about the athletes putting in their best effort and enjoying the experience of being part of a wonderful event”
The improvement in the performance of the athletes over the past two years will be evident at other events later this year such as the PNG Air National Championships and of course the Pacific Games in Honiara.”
Green accompanied PNG mens teams to the World XC in 1996 in Stellenbosch, South Africa where the athletes had the privilege of meeting the late Nelson Mandela at the Opening Ceremony, and again to Marrakesh , Morocco in 1998.