Fourteen out of twenty-six Districts in the Momase Region have confirmed their participation in the Inaugural Momase Regional Youth Games (MRYGs) in Madang, next month.
Set for the 25th to the 30th of September, the RYG Coordinator John D’siguria assured that the games will be one of the biggest sport events staged in the region with over 4000 youths representing all the 26 districts are expected to attend.
The sports to be featured are Volleyball, Soccer, Touch Footy, Basketball and Inclusive Sports for Athletics that will be held as an Exhibition during the event.
“Preparations are on target by the host Province to ensure visitors are well looked after in Madang for the duration of the games.” D’siguria said.
RYG Council Chairman Joe Itaki said the Regional Youth Games is a rural focused sporting concept that is tailored to unlock the raw sporting talents hidden in the rural settings.
“Through this partnership arrangements, we aspire to bring the sporting codes closer to rural youths so they appreciate sports and expose talents.”
Itaki expressed that the engagement of unemployed youths in such organised sporting tournaments will also restore some level of dignity on the youths of our time and foster positive behavioural changes.
The games will be facilitated under partnership arrangements between the National Youth Development Authority, PNG Sports Foundation and Department of Community Development & Religion, along with the agencies that were called on for support from all the youth stakeholders in the region to make sport a catalyst for change in the lives of the rural youth.
RYG Council Deputy Chairman and PNG Sports Foundation CEO Albert Veratau said the RYG is part of PNGSF’s “Go Rural to Go Global” (GRtGG) strategy of getting young people involved in sports at an early age.
“Through sports, we plan to engage as many youths as possible during the rolling out of the GRtGG and set them on pathways that can benefit them in the long run.
Districts that have confirmed so far are;
Angoram, Angoram 2, Ambunti-Drekirkir, Wewak in the East Sepik Province; Bulolo, Huon Gulf, Lae, Lae 2 and Nawaeb in Morobe Province; along with Usino Bundi, Bogia, Sumkar, Madang, Middle Ramu, Rai Coast from Madang Province.
