png

Toea Wisil recently went viral with her Facebook post when she called out APNG and president Tony Green for intimidating athletes into submission as well as feeding them biscuits, especially during the Oceania Championships held in Cairns (June 24-28) in a post titled “Not Keeping it Quiet”.

“Athletes been eating Snax biscuits for breakfast and lunch before coming to Oceania and hungry while here. I am putting it out for the people to know what is going on in our sports.”

Conducted by Football Federation Samoa, the draw used seedings based on FIFA rankings.

In the men's event, six teams had been set to be placed in Group A and five in Group B but due to an mistake on the day, five teams were drawn for Group A and six for Group B.

To rectify this, a straight swap was carried out in the match schedules between the groups.

Group A features hosts Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand under-23s, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

New Caledonia are the top seeds in Group B, alongside American Samoa, Tuvalu, Tahiti, Fiji and Solomon Islands.

Athletes, officials, spectators, volunteers, and the workforce involved in the Games are reminded that the event is smokefree.

May 31, which is just 37 days until the Opening Ceremony kicks off a fortnight of sporting competition, is the annual No Tobacco Day organised by the World Health Organization.

The annual campaign raises awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, and aims to discourage the use of tobacco in any form.

The regional team failed to win a match in their first appearance in 18 years after being swept 3-0 by China, Indonesia and South Korea to finish bottom of Pool B, consigning them to automatic relegation back to Group Two in 2020.

Team Captain Gilles De Gouy said the players failed to take their chances against more experienced opposition.

The 42-ft yacht, 'Magalut' managed to save the lives of eight people on Sunday as their banana boat sank in heavy seas 25 nautical miles east off Nissan Island.

Magalut's owner Andrew Kilvert said the rescue, in difficult sea conditions off the Bougainville atolls, highlights the need for better maritime safety measures.

Mr Kilvert said that small craft in particular should require radios.

In July, Air Niugini Cargo, a subsidiary of the flag carrier, announced it would offer a 50 percent discount to firms transporting PNG-made products to export markets from mid-2019, increasing access to external markets for domestic suppliers, particularly in the agricultural sector.

The success of last year's tournament across Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand has opened the door for international games to be showcased in a similar way to the NRL taking clashes to regional areas in Australia throughout 2018.

The annual mid-season Pacific Tests, which have been played since 2013, have been based in Sydney's west for the last five years – an agreement that will continue next season.

Social media itself was bombarded with all sorts of comments against the events that transpired, including the burning of Air Niugini’s subsidiary, Link PNG Services Dash 8 aircraft.

The Government, in response, declared an extension of the State of Emergency, approving K6 million funding and a call out for PNG Defence Force soldiers.

The NEC than made a pre-emptive decision to suspend the Southern Highlands Provincial Government.

Calls for the NRL to expand into Port Moresby are growing louder by the year, given the island nation’s love of rugby league and ability to produce athletes.

Australian coach and league legend Mal Meninga has led the charge, while other figures such as Matty Johns and James Graham have backed PNG entering the world’s best competition.

Last week, the PNG Supreme Court upheld the right of Manus detainees to seek damages for the breach of their constitutional rights including the deprivation of liberty.

The ruling followed the court's decision in April 2016 that their detention was unlawful.

In September, the Australian government agreed to pay $US50 million in compensation to Manus detainees, and it was suggested men receiving that payout would not qualify for further damages.

But the lawyer Ben Lomai said that was not so.