Spotlight on Papua New Guinea
The Papua New Guinea Disabled Sports Association (PNGDSA)
is one of the newer National Paralympic Committees (NPCs)
on the block. Its first-time participation in the Paralympic
Games was at Sydney 2000. There, powerlifter Kupuni Lewa
lifted 125kg in the men's 56-kg division and is currently
ranked 77/284 in this weight class. Papua New Guinea was
also represented by two visually impaired athletes: Ben
Thoedore in the men's javelin and Dona Ou in the men's
1500m.
The history of the PNGDSA goes back to 1981, when it
was formed during the United Nations International Year
for Disabled Persons. Difficulties in management meant
that the Association had to be re-established twice-in
1990 and in 1992, after which the National Games for the
Disabled were organized on an ad-hoc basis. Seeing the
problems faced by the PNGDSA, the Papua New Guinea Sports
Commission created a position for a Disabled Sports Development
Officer in 1996. The role of the Officer was to work closely
with the PNGDSA and organize the National Disabled Games,
as well as the PNGDSA's other programs and the PNG Sports
Commission's Disabled Sports Program.
The PNGDSA currently has nine affiliated local members
and more than 250 registered athletes with ages ranging
from 8 to 60. The Association is affiliated with the IPC,
the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled
(FESPIC) Federation, the Papua New Guinea Sports Federation
and the Papua New Guinea National Coaching Council.
Despite financial challenges, athletes from Papua New
Guinea have participated in several international competitions,
including the FESPIC Games, the Stoke Mandeville Games
and other invitational games. PNG can be proud of its
total of 12 gold, 24 silver and 19 bronze medals across
seven FESPIC Games.
There is also much activity on the local scene. With
the PNG Sports Commission's assistance, the PNGDSA has
been successfully staging the National Disabled Games
every year since 1996. In August 2000, the 14th PNG National
Disabled Games was held at the National Sports Institute
in Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province. The number
of athletes participating at the National Disabled Games
has been increasing by more than 50 each year on average.
With the rapid increase in participation from all the
different provinces, the organizers faced the challenges
of acquiring suitable accommodation and sufficient funding.
The PNGDSA, in consultation with the PNG Sports Commission,
thus decided to now hold the National Disabled Games biannually
instead of annually. To ensure that sports opportunities
remain, the PNGDSA introduced the Regional Games, which
will be piloted in each of the four regions-Southern,
Momase, Highlands, and the New Guinea Islands. Discussions
are currently underway with sports coordinators in each
of the regions to facilitate the program. From the Regional
Games, the best athletes will be selected to compete in
the National Games.
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