The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee or PNGOC defended its selection process for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Thursday, stating that all athlete and official selections adhere strictly to independent, policy-based standards applied uniformly across every sport.
Addressing procedures for the Basketball 3×3 program which spanned from the Head Coach endorsement in April to final athlete confirmations in June, PNGOC maintained that all decisions followed established protocols.
“Every nomination that comes to PNGOC is assessed against the same published standards, without exception. That is what protects the integrity of the Team PNG uniform for every athlete who wears it,” said PNGOC President Emma Waiwai, OL.
Under the Team PNG Officials Selection Policy, National Federations submit nominations for athletes and officials, which are then evaluated by an independent Justification Committee (JC). The committee determines whether to endorse, provisionally endorse, or decline nominations based on published criteria. Unsuccessful nominees possess the right to appeal through the independent PNG Sports Disputes Tribunal and, if necessary, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Regarding the Basketball 3×3 squad, the JC endorsed Head Coach Gavin De La Cruz in April 2026, and the final athlete roster was approved following a review by the Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea’s Executive Committee in June.
A separate Team Manager nomination that failed to meet published policy criteria was subjected to a full, independent appeal, resulting in a ruling by the PNG Sports Dispute Tribunal. To ensure adequate administrative and welfare support during the Glasgow 2026 campaign, the Team Manager duties will be managed by an experienced female member of Team PNG’s General Management Team.
“Our job is to give every athlete the best possible team around them, chosen the same way regardless of sport. That is what happened here, and it is what PNG can expect from every Team PNG selection process,” said Waiwai.
