Athletics PNG have named a strong team of 23 male and 14 female athletes for the Pacific Mini Games in June with two managers and six coaches to accompany the team to Saipan. The team includes Pacific Sprint Queen Toea Wisil and Tokyo Olympian Rellie Kaputin with sprinters Leroy Kamau and Daniel Baul expected to lead the men's team. President Tony Green said that the team will be looking for a strong showing at the Games as a result of the programmes that have been in place through the last two years. Whilst many sports have been badly affected by venue closures especially in Port Moresby, athletics have been able to keep its squad members in shape by establish training groups in various centres including Kerowagi, Goroka, Kansas (USA) and Lae. The World Athletics funded training programme for the 2023 World Cross Country Championships combined with support from PNG Air and Prima Smallgoods has been very good for the middle and long distance group. The USA college programme will come to a conclusion in the third week of May at which time the athletes should be in peak form and following a short break they will then be able to focus on the Games, with Athletics scheduled for 21 to 25 June. There are a small number of athletes with injury concerns who are being monitored, and one athlete currently undergoing rehab may be added subject to proving fitness to compete. Plans are in place for the PNG based team members together with a small number of development squad members to attend the Oceania Championships which will be held in Mackay Queensland from June 7 to 9. A number of athletes who require specialised coaching for the technical events will head to Queensland later this month for training under Head Coach Brett Green, Jumps/Multi event coach Phillip Newton and specialist hurdles coaches. These include Rellie Kaputin and Eldan Toti (Jumps) ; Adrine Monagi and Daniel Baul (hurdles) ; and multi event athletes Karo Iga and Edna Boafob. Green clarified that the final selection for individual sprinting events will be made by the coaches closer to the Games and will depend on fitness and performance of the athletes between now and June. A number of para athletes are also being considered for the Games and their selection is expected to be finalised by the end of this month when the classification process and the necessary consultations are complete. Head Coach Brett Green flew into the country on Monday to spend this week in Goroka with the coaches and PNG based team members. The camp has several aims including team bonding, planning the final and more specific period of training and encouraging focus and goal setting. The eight member management and the coaching team includes a mix of experienced coaches from both Australia and PNG and two coaches getting their first International assignment (Nelson Stone and Malcolm Limbai) Image source: Athletics Podium