COMMONWEALTH GAMES, PACIFIC GAMES COMING UP …

THE next big thing coming up for most countries in the Pacific is the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014.

Following that, the 22 states and territories will be participating in the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, PNG.

Photo: PNG's Champion swimmer Ryan Pini with the baton (and others) in the Queen's Baton Relay as part of the Commonwealth Games preparation in Port Moresby recently. 

The PNG Government in its 2014 Budget this week marked K386 million (US$158 million) to build and renovate infrastructure to prepare the stadiums, fields and courts for the Games.

Athletes and officials coming for the Games will be accommodated in a brand new accommodation complex.

The PNG Government had the same kind of arrangement in the 1991 Pacific Games – also hosted in PNG.

More on this next week.  

GIVE TO HELP VICTIMS OF TYPHOON YOLANDA …

GIVE TO HELP VICTIMS OF TYPHOON YOLANDA … A few days ago, a member of a FB group, a Filipino, appealed for assistance to help rebuild the lives and infrastructure of people in the Philippines after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged Central Philippines and elsewhere. (Some countries in the Pacific – like Palau – were also affected.)

It was reported that possibly 10,000 lives were lost in that mega-natural disaster in the Phillipines.

I was kind of looking around to see if the Filipinos in PNG were organizing fundraising activities where those of us who want to assist in anyway could come forward and help rebuild broken lives affected by the typhoon.

The good news is the Filipino Association in PNG is on the move.

Photo: Please give to help. Refer to ad, for those in PNG.

They have arranged for donation centres in different parts of Port Moresby.

Please refer to the pic/ad and give what you can to help our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, are now without money, houses, food, water, clothes, etc.

Please give to help.    

TU ES WALLISIEN?

IT was quite challenging for me when moving around the Games Village during the Mini Pacific Games and greeting people appropriately – in English, French or Wallisian.

(Yes, I learned the basic phrases of salutation in Wallisian before we left for the Mini Games.)

The challenge was when I passed by Samoans, Tongans or Wallisians (all Polynesians) and if they were not donning uniforms – it was quite difficult to tell who was who and greet them appropriately.

On the afternoon of Sept 1, we – two other PNG female managers and two of us, male managers – visited the coffee shop in the Lycée Games Village.

In fact, since I was one who settled in first and being more familiar with the place, I was the one showing them around.

When we entered the shop (boutique), there was this Polynesian man sitting at one of the tables sipping coffee.

The large TV screen in the room had a French programme going on.

We had a look around the shop, assisted by the two Wallisian female staff (who spoke fairly good English) and then took a seat next to the man with the coffee.

The female managers decided to buy soft drinks for all of us who were visiting.

We were sitting there and I looked over to the Polynesian and said:

“Bonjour. Tu es Wallisien? (Hellow. You are Wallisian?)

He replied with a smile: “Sorry. I am Tongan.”

There was laughter coming from the two Wallisian female staff.

We all saw the fun in my mistake.

I said: “Really, I cannot tell the difference between a Wallisian and another Polynesian.”

Knowing that Wallisians and Futunians have links to Tongans and Samoans, I asked the man: “We know that the Wallisian language is related to Tongan. Do you understand a Wallisian speaking in his or her language?”

The man said: “If they speak slowly, we can understand. A lot of words are similar to words in Tongan.”

The man introduced himself and we (the other managers as well) had a good afternoon telling stories about people we had met – for him, Papua New Guineans who had visited Tonga and for us, Tongans who had been residents or visitors to PNG.

He told us he was a va’a athlete (for quite some time too) and would very much like to come to work in PNG.

One of the female managers said he should try applying to the mines. (Yes, there are quite a number of mines in PNG.)

One night, I was walking towards the boutique (to get some WiFi vouchers) when I noticed a heavily-built Polynesian lady walking along the footpath, just behind me.

In trying to be courteous, I looked back and said “bonsoir (good evening)”, thinking she was Wallisian or Futunan.

She said: “Sorry, I am Samoan.”

I said: “Sorry, good evening then.”

She replied: “Good evening.”

 

Photo: Wallisian mess (restaurant) staff at the Lycée Games Village barbecuing chicken on Sept 1. To communicate with most locals, it is best that one learns French or Wallisian.

One afternoon, I got on the bus to travel from the Lycée Village to go to the Kafika Stadium.

There were a lot of athletes from different countries on board.

Some were speaking English, while others were speaking in their local tongues.

As we passed by some other athletes and officials on the road, one of the men on the bus called out “stop, stop, stop” to have the driver stop and pick up some of his countrymen who were walking.

By the way the Wallisian driver was going, it seemed he did not understand what the call was for.     

“Stop, stop, stop,” the man called again.

“Arretez, s’il vous plaît (Stop, please),” I called, attempting to help the man stop the bus.

Then the bus came to a stop and the door was opened for the men on the road to board the vehicle.

I thought it was a lesson for all of us.

For those of us coming from English-speaking countries, we must understand that some of our Pacific neighbours can only understand us if we learn to communicate in French.

I have said it here (back in PNG) that “we the English-speaking nations in the Pacific are ignorant of the French-speaking territories in the region”.

That is sad, but true.     

FAST SPRINTERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES COMING UP …

YES, I have said in the last post that the fastest sprinters in the Pacific come from Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

But as I am aware, as I was browsing through the results of the sprints/relays, I must say there are good (should I say elite) runners from other nations who have done well in the 2013 IX Mini Pacific Games – and hopefully will carry that good effort into the 2015 XV Pacific Games to be staged in Port Moresby, PNG.

These are my own views regarding possible performances by the different nations, as I look into the future, including the 2015 Pacific Games.

In the women’s sprint events Lovelite Detenamo, the Nauruan came third to Toea Wisil (PNG) and Younis Bese (Fiji).

In her early 20s, Detenamo has another decade yet to compete and may be reaching her prime in a few years time.

It is interesting to note that the Cook Islands top sprinter Patricia Taea came second to Toea Wisil in the Women’s 200m finals, almost 1.0s behind the Papua New Guinean.

Elenoa Sailosi (Fiji) came third, 0.09s after Taea.

Photo: Some of the fastest female sprinters in the Pacific coming around the bend in the 200m finals. They include (from left) Elenoa Sailosi (Fiji), Toea Wisil (PNG), Patricia Taea (Cook Islands) and Lovelite Detenamo (Nauru). Wisil crossed the line first, followed by Taea and Sailosi. - Pic by ANDREW MOLEN, PNGOC MEDIA 

In the Women’s 4X100m relay, Vanuatu took the third place after PNG and Fiji. That shows that they have some good sprinters there who will come up the ranks in years to come.

Similarly, Tonga Women’s 4X400m relay team came third, after PNG and Fiji.

Tonga has a lot of young athletes in their team and therefore can make some good performances in the 2015 Games.

In the Men’s 200m race, it was great seeing Palau’s Rodman Teltull coming third, after Fiji’s Banuve Tabakaucoro and PNG’s Joe Matmat.

In the 400m Men’s finals, it was also pleasing to see Samoa’s Siologa Viliamu Sepa taking the gold, with Tonga’s Heamatangi Tuivai coming second and followed by Fiji’s Batinisavu Uluiyata.

If PNG and Fiji do not work on developing better 400m specialists, the Polynesians may continue to top this event in the 2015 Games.

New Caledonia and Tonga have done well in the 4X100m Men’s relay in coming home second and third respectively after PNG.

That also shows that there are good sprinters in those teams – and they should work hard to do well in the 100m event.

(NOTE: Fiji cruised home first in the 4X100m relay but was disqualified because one of its runners went off his lane. PNG, who crossed the line second were therefore handed the gold medal because of Fiji’s mishap.)

In the Men’s 4X400m, the Samoa team with top athlete Siologa Viliamu Sepa came home third, after Fiji and PNG.

Samoa has to groom more athletes like Sepa (for the 400m event) to combine for a better performance in this relay event.    

   

With that I end this post with a “bon courage” or “best wishes” to all those athletes named – and the ones who were not named but gave their best in the Mini Games.