The PNG Rugby Deaf Rugby Union Association will be competing for the first time in the Pacific Deaf Rugby 7s tournament to be held in Sydney from the 23rd to the 26th of February 2024, after being invited by the Australian Deaf Rugby Union. According to Aguna Frank, Coordinator of the PNG Deaf Rugby, since its establishment in 2018, the organization has not been getting the amount of exposure it needed to grow as an association. Apart from taking part in the 2020 Rookie 7s where they formed two teams and played each other and again in the 2022 provincial union 7s tournament against the East Sepik deaf rugby union association, they never had outside exposure. Frank said that this was a great opportunity for the association to work towards its aims to break barriers and showcase the skills and talents of the PNG Deaf Rugby team at an international level. “We’ve missed out on the past 7s competitions overseas because of the lack of funding but we’re determined to make sure we attend this 7s tournament in Sydney.” The PNG Deaf Rugby Association consists of men and women with impaired hearing and even though they are working on building a women’s team, the men’s teams have already been off to a great start. In terms of barriers, apart from the lack of funding, communication was and still is a significant barrier in the growth of the union as it was a challenge to learn and interpret sign language; therefore, the association hopes that more people sign up to help out. “We need more interpreters to get involved, not only in Moresby, but in other provinces also so we can try and establish deaf rugby inside the provinces to allow a fair selection of players for national and international tournaments like this.” As the players look forward to their tournament, they appeal to potentially interested business houses and corporate sponsors, and the support of their families and communities, to help them raise enough funds to cover their travel and uniform expenses. “We haven’t secured any sponsors yet, but we are trying our best. We are looking forward to business houses and corporate entities who are willing to help us with funding our journey.”