Morobe wins 6th PNG Games

MOROBE is the winner of the 6th PNG Games, the PNG Games Council and PNG Sports Foundation announced yesterday.

Morobe won 65 gold, 53 silver and 45 bronze medals, 14 gold better than their nearest rival.

National Capital District were the next best province at the Bank South Pacific-sponsored event with 51 gold, 50 silver and 43 bronze medals, followed by Central with 48 gold, 56 silver and 36 bronze medals.

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville finished in fourth place outdoing former Games hosts Eastern Highlands and East New Britain.

Bougainville won 35 gold medals, while East New Britain had 24 rounding off the top five. Eastern Highlands was the best performing Highlands province with 19 gold medals to finish in sixth place.

Western’s one-man team of George Yamak provided the uplifting story of the Games. 

Yamak managed to get his province on the tally with a gold medal win in the 1500m.

That gold medal ensured Western finished in 20th position ahead of East Sepik who won six silver and 19 bronze medals and West Sepik with one silver and two bronze medals.

Games council chairman Edris Kumbruwah, PNGSF chief executive officer Peter Tsiamalili Junior and Host Organising Committee member Vincent Onnevagi made the official announcement yesterday morning at the Melanesian Hotel and said that the official tally included the late medal presentations of kickboxing and karate, which were concluded well into Saturday night after the closing ceremony.

There were 306 gold, 297 silver and 345 bronze medals given out for a total of 948 medals.

Tsiamalili said the Lae Games was the biggest and involved unprecedented preparation and involvement of technical officials from the different codes and other stakeholders around the country.

He said it was beneficial that sports technical professionals had gained good experience to handle the upcoming Pacific Games in Port Moresby.

“We have done a lot better than what we have done in Kokopo, progressively we have done a lot of things differently and I must take this opportunity to acknowledge my staff for their tireless effort and for raising their own game as individuals and professionals,” Tsiamalili said.

Kumbruwah and Tsiamalili admitted that there were some debts incurred but declined to give details.

“My staff and team will be on the ground in the next few days tidying up our administration.”

Tsiamalili said they would meet with the HOC today to review the Games. ONE PNG/ The National