Results for Team PNG boxers on Day 7 of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, sees fighters Neville Warupi (Welterweight), Arthur Lavalou (Heavyweight) and Jamie Chang (Bantamweight) all bowing out in the quarter finals.
Warupi went the full three rounds against Tyler Jolly from Scotland with Jolly winning on points.
Lavalou’s bout against England’s Lewis Williams was stopped by the referee midway through the first round with the win awarded to Williams.
Chang fought on gallantly right up until the last round with Owain Harris-Allan from Wales winning on points.
Team PNG’s Tammi Agari narrowly missed out on a win in her second match against Fiji’s Touea Titana in the Women’s Singles table tennis event at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on Wednesday.
The sixteen-year-old from Tubusereia in the Central Province, managed to shake off the nerves after the loss of her first match to push her Fijian opponent all the way into the seventh game only to be edged out 4-3 (18 – 16, 10 – 12, 9 – 11, 12 –10, 11 – 4, 6 – 11, 11 – 9).
In the Men’s Singles, Geoffrey Loi put up spirited performances in his 4-0 losses to Barbados’ Tyrese Knight and to Malaysia’s Qi Shen Wong.
Loi and Agari are students at the Butuka Academy in Port Moresby and do long commuting every day from Tubusereia to school, then after to training and then back home to Tubusereia.
Amongst the Team PNG supporters in the crowd was Chef de Mission Michael Henao who commended the two youngsters on their improved performances stating “A lot of sacrifice, has been put in by our athletes and officials to prepare for this competition and we encourage support from our fellow Papua New Guineans back in Papua New Guinea and around the world,”
“Unless we have walked, run and played in their shoes, we will truly appreciate their hard work and sacrifices – the sweat, the tears and the hardship that came with it.” Henao said
PNG Boxers Neville Warupi, Arthur Lavalou and Jamie Chang have reached the boxing quarter finals of the Commonwealth Games set for this Thursday.
Heavyweight (Over 86kg-92kg) boxer, Lavalou and Chang in the Bantamweight (Over 51kg-54kg) division had byes which pushed them straight into the quarter finals.
In the Welterweight (Over 63.5kg-67kg) division, Warupi booked his spot after beating Solomon Islands’ Pemberton Lele on points (4-1) on Tuesday at the NEC.
PNG Boxer, Neville WarupiTeam Papua New Guinea’s Neville Warupi wins bout against Solomon Islands’ Pemberton Lele.PNG Boxer, Neville Warupi
An elated Warupi said there was no shortage of motivation going into the fight against Lele.
“With John Ume, Charles Keama and Allan Oaike all bowing out earlier, this is what pushed me to want the win even more. It gave me even more strength and determination,” he said.
Team Papua New Guinea’s swimming sensation, Ryan Maskelyne finished second in his heat with a time of 29.53 seconds knocking off the existing national record of 29.85 seconds and setting a new one for PNG in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke.
Maskelyne was exceptional in his respective events since starting last Saturday where he swam the Men’s 200m Breaststroke coming eighth in a pool consisting of World Record and Commonwealth Games Record holders.
He also broke the Men’s 100m Breaststroke national record of 1:03:89 (set by himself) clocking a new time of 1:03:31.
Swim Team Manager, Sarenah Pini said she was happy with how Team PNG’s swimmers performed at the Commonwealth Games.
“Ryan has done extremely well in his respective events and his performance is a reflection of all the hard work, sacrifices, the long hours to and from training, and the dedication and time put into his training,” said Mrs Pini.
In other results for Day 4, Team PNG’s Georgia-Leigh Vele swam an improved time of 1:01:60 in the Women’s 100m Freestyle in comparison to her 1:01:73 time at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, five weeks ago.
Georgia-Leigh will now prepare for the Queensland Short Course Championships in two weeks’ time. Then to the PNG FedEx National Short Course Championships in October followed by the FINA World Short Course Championships in Melbourne.
Team PNG’s squash trio, Madako Suari Jnr, Feanor Siaguru and Amity Alarcos will turn their attention to the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles competitions at the Commonwealth Games.
Despite results not going their way over the weekend in the Men’s and Women’s Singles, head coach Marc Forster said there were still positives to take away from the performances of the three.
“Junior (Madako) needs to keep up the standard and keep solid. Youngsters Feanor and Amity will come away with an understanding now of what it takes to be a professional like the players they’re seeing here,” said Forster.
The Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles will start on Wednesday, August 3.
Team PNG won its first silver medal yesterday (Saturday 30th July 2022) through weightlifting sensation Morea Baru at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The three-time Commonwealth Games sensation lifted 121kg in the Snatch and 152kg in the Clean and Jerk scoring a total lift of 273kg in the Men’s 61kg division finishing second to Malaysia’s Muhamad Aznil Bin Bidin who scored 285kg. India won bronze with a total lift of 269kg.
This is the second time Baru has won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games, the last one was at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
“Morea Baru’s performance at Birmingham 2022 was brilliant. He put on a strong performance against the Commonwealth’s best and came home with a Silver Medal, putting Team PNG onto the medal tally,” said Team PNG’s Chef de Mission, Michael Henao.
Baru’s quiet, humble demeanour continues to inspire Team PNG, and we join Morea, his family and all Papua New Guineans at home and across the world in congratulating Morea on this fantastic achievement”
In the Women’s category, our female champion Dika Toua took to the platform in what proved to be a highly competitive 49kg division missing out on a medal by a mere 1kg.
Toua lifted 74kg in the Snatch and 96kg in the Clean and Jerk, settling in with a total of 170kg.
VETERAN, Madako Suari Jr and youngster, Feanor Siaguru from the sport of squash are set to take the courts come Friday and Saturday for Team PNG at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Suari will take to the court first in the Men’s Singles preliminary round at the University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre against Malaysia’s Mohammad Kamal on Friday, July 29 at 12:30pm local time (9:30pm PNG time).
Siaguru will go up against Lwamba Chileshe from New Zealand the same day at 7:45pm (Saturday 4:45am PNG time).
Amity Alarcos will play England’s Lucy Turmel on Saturday, July 30 at 12pm (9pm PNG time) in the Women’s Singles preliminary round.
“They’ve all got their work cut out for them,” said Head Coach, Marc Forster.
Forster added preparations have gone smoothly.
“They’re hitting the ball a little sweeter, a little harder, a little straighter, and their length is good. I think it’s just been really good hitting time for them and they’re starting to hit more of their targets.
“Since arriving it’s been all good, no problems. We’ve been putting in two sessions a day and hopefully they all can play as well as they can come Friday and Saturday.”
The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee received a timely presentation of the funds totalling K344, 000 from Trukai Industries Limited to aid Team PNG’s participation at the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom later this month. The funds presented were raised from the sales of the 2022 Trukai Fun Run T Shirts.
TIL Chief Executive Officer Alan Preston in making the presentation to the PNGOC stated that Trukai were happy with its continued partnership with PNGOC to support Team PNG in its endeavour to promote PNG’s sporting talents in international competitions.
“Trukai Industries has been a great partner of Team PNG and the PNGOC for the past 23 years. On behalf of Trukai Industries Ltd, we wish the athletes all the best and every success, as they fly our country’s Red, Black and Gold colours amongst the 70 plus Commonwealth nations’ who will congregate in one of the biggest sporting festivals in the world from 28th July to 08th August 2022” Preston said.
Sir John Dawanincura, President of the PNGOC in receiving the cheque on behalf of PNGOC and Team PNG, thanked Trukai Industries for their continued support.
“We are truly grateful for this wonderful partnership fostered over many years despite tough economic times our country has endured, you continue to stand by PNGOC. I salute your passion and support enabling PNG’s elite sportsmen and women to aspire to greater heights” Sir John said.
Team PNG’s contingent to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games will consist of 54 athletes and officials who will leave our shores on July 21st to participate in the 20th edition of the games.
Santos has reaffirmed its commitment in backing and growing women’s rugby league in Papua New Guinea.
Earlier today Santos announced its investment of K1.8million as sponsorship through the PNG Rugby Football League Inc. to support the PNG Orchids.
This also paves way for Santos to be the naming rights of the national women’s rugby league team as preparations begin for the World Cup in England this year.
Santos Country Chair, Leon Buskens made this announcement earlier today at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
There to witness was PNGRFL CEO, Stanley Hondina, home grown talent, Elsie Albert, PNG Orchids Management, media and other stakeholders.
Mr Buskens said Santos is proud to continue this legacy in supporting Papua New Guinea’s national sport and empower women and girls.
He said the move to support women in rugby league began in 2017 with Oil Search as the inaugural sponsor and naming rights and with its merger Santos now will continue this journey.
“Our values drive everything at Santos, and we are passionate about building a better future for communities in which we operate.
It is an important part for our women and girls in Papua New Guinea. We have a great pool of talent and one example is Elsie Albert,” said Buskens.
PNGRFL CEO, Stanley Hondina thanked Santos for the continued partnership.
Hondina said women’s rugby league will not grow if there is no better support off the field.
“Santos is a key partner in developing rugby league in PNG communities. There is a big gap between men and women in league, but the last five years has been very encouraging. Our women’s team the PNG Orchids are now ranked 4th in the world.
It’s an achievement we want to push forward and Santos has created a pathway through its sponsorship,” said Hondina.
The PNGRFL CEO said rugby league is more than just a sport.
“It’s a tool of development and we want to support aspiring girls and women to develop the code in Papua New Guinea,” added Hondina.
Meanwhile selected women players from the Northern, Highlands, Southern and Islands Confederates are in Port Moresby for the Tri-Series this weekend.
The players will merge to Teams Black, Gold and Red and will play at the Santos National Football Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
A team will then be selected for a trial match in Australia before the final PNG Orchids team is selected for the World Cup in England.
Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited has backed the PNG LNG Kumuls as the platinum sponsor.
The three-year deal was announced this afternoon at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
KPHL Managing Director, Wapu Sonk and PNGRFL Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Hondina signed the deal for the support and growth of rugby league in the country.
“We are proud to announce the sponsorship and also partner with other sponsors like PNG LNG, Digicel PNG, NGCB and the others,” said MD Sonk.
He thanked the KPHL Board for making this a priority.
“I thank the Government of the day to back rugby league. It’s an investment and hopefully we get results like the recent game between the PNG Kumuls and Fiji Batis,” said Sonk.
The sponsorship begins this year and will support the PNG Kumuls as preparations for the Prime Minister’s 13 and World Cup begins.
KPHL is also a platinum sponsor for the PNG Hunters program, school rugby league and are part owner of franchise club, Hela Wigmen.
PNGRFL CEO, Stanley Hondina expressed his gratitude to the KPHL Board and Mr Sonk for their endless support for rugby league in Papua New Guinea.
He said this is crucial for PNGRFL.
“We appreciate the partnership with KPHL including the other sponsors. They have invested a lot in rugby league. It is this type of support that will develop the players and game,” said Hondina.
CEO Hondina said it’s more than just rugby league. “We share the values of nation building. Such investment will assist PNGRFL to shape and mold men and women who can be good citizens,” Hondina said.
Hondina said rugby league is growing because of good partnerships by corporate giants.
Meanwhile Hondina said PNG LNG Kumuls will only play one game before the Rugby World Cup and that is the Prime Minister’s 13.
“It’s the only trial match for the Kumuls and we wish them well,” said Hondina.
The KPHL platinum sponsorship begins this year and will end in 2024.
