The threat of rain in Port Moresby did little to hamper the start of the Niu Power Sports Tok 7s tournament, with the cloud cover and seemingly dark skies providing prolific playing conditions on the first day.
The code of rugby union sevens is built around fast pace with limited time; and the organizers of the tournament Quantum Media under their Sports Tok brand, have grown in strides over the past four years with the fifth edition of the tournament this year seeing the biggest gathering of teams for the tournament.
“Interest has grown immensely over the past four years; this year’s tournament is a gathering of more than 50 teams in three divisions.
“It’s much bigger, 24 mens’ teams was the limit, we could not accept more, with 16 teams confirmed for the juniors and 12 women’s teams confirmed, we have women from the Sepik region representing the Sepik Tenkiles, women from AROB and Rabaul also flew in.” said Sports Tok Tournament Manager Benson Upas.
The tournament host is a Small to Medium Enterprise a (SME) and has dug deep into their pockets the last four years including the fifth installment of the tournament, to ensure its continued success.
“We are glad to have a corporate sponsor with Niu Power coming on board, we were on the fence the last two years with COVID-19 having a big impact on our financing, but we managed to pull through those years with help from other sponsors as well,” Upas added.
The tournament has since gained recognition from Papua New Guinea Rugby (PNG Rugby) the country’s governing body of the sport and Upas says they are certain they will be part of the annual PNG Rugby Calendar.
“For the last four years Capital Rugby Union (CRU) has been our partner, this year we have gained recognition from PNG Rugby, we have been contributing players to the national team through our tournament and we are proud of that,” Upas said.
The Sports Tok 7s tournament is scheduled for three days; the final is set for Monday on the Queen’s Birthday public holiday.
(PHOTO FILE: Courtesy of Newtown Chiefs)
Comments are closed.