By Lorraine Genia – EMTVSport, Port Moresby
In the midst of challenges with funding to host the seventh PNG Games, the Host Organising Committee (HOC) has called on business houses in Kimbe town to support the Games.
Deputy Chairman of the HOC, Dacca Wagai, said the games will create opportunities that will benefit the town economically with the influx of people flooding in, during the two week period between November-December.
Wagai says while the local community of Kimbe should take ownership of the event this year, it is also important for corporate houses to support the initiative.
“The games will bring a lot of development to this province and at the same time a lot of economic benefits to everyone,” Wagai said.
While Kimbe doesn’t have the privilege of several million kina sporting infrastructure, like Port Moresby – the benefits of hosting the games, and the current developmen’s, will change the outlook of Kimbe as a small and underdeveloped town.
“For main centres like Port Moresby and Lae, they have existing facilities so it’s a matter of doing few touch ups, but here we are trying to build new ones,” said Wagai.
Meanwhile, Games Operations Manager, Freddie Matthies, also said “With the PNG Games coming to smaller centres it gives us an opportunity to develop our sporting infrastructure, obviously everything is based in POM, and I don’t think POM should get all the infrastructures, I think it’s important all other provinces should be able to host other sporting events.”
It’s all about the long term benefits for Matthies and the HOC – what these infrastructural developmen’s will bring to Kimbe in the coming years will be a flood of opportunities to host and stage many other sporting events alike.
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