Work on improving the venues for the BSP PNG Games 2014 has now begun, after organisers signed up more key business sponsors, according to the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Phil Franklin.

PNG Games Ambassador, Toea Wisil

‘The Bank of South Pacific has come on board as naming rights sponsor, which is excellent’, he told Business Advantage PNG.

Another recent signatory has been PNG Ports Corporation Ltd as a major sponsor, which is contributing K350,000 towards the 6th staging of the Games, which will be held in November.

Lae Biscuit Co has also invested in the Official Morobe Supporters sponsorship and Pronto Software have taken a Wantok package.  EMTV has been appointed as the official broadcaster of the games.

‘Remedial work on the main stadiums in Lae has begun,’ said Franklin. This consists of work on the outdoor track and stadium, work on the indoor stadium and work on the swimming pool.

What’s made this possible, he says, is that the Morobe Provincial Government has handed over its promised K5 million and the local MP has paid his promised K500,000 on time.

‘We are assured by the national government that its K10 million is forthcoming and we are confident that it will flow through on time,’ he added.

Ceremonies

‘Opening and closing ceremonies have been nailed down.

‘The star of the ceremonies will be Aboriginal Australian singer, Jessica Mauboy and Papua New Guinean star Jokema. We are also finalising additional PNG performers.

Events

‘We have also finalised the number of sports and venues identified and we are now preparing the actual schedule of games. In some of the sports we have only seven or eight provinces participating and that means we can finish those sports earlier in the competition and it can release those venues for other sports.

‘All provinces are participating in athletics, soccer and basketball.

‘Some provinces are gearing up for the games with trials and training underway.

‘A number have already prepaid their accommodation which is one of the goals of these games. It is a requirement that provinces will prepay their accommodation before they are accredited to the games. The deadline is end of July.’

Security

Officials from some provinces have expressed concern about security, says Franklin, so police have been actively participating in the organisation.

‘We have plans in place for five mobile squads to be in attendance during the games. We’re not anticipating any problems, but there’ll be a lot of people there and emotions can overrun the situation so we want to provide a safe and secure environment with a strong presence of police.’

With exactly four months until the Opening Ceremony, Franklin believes the 2014 event will set a new benchmark:

‘We’re confident that the PNG Games will reach a new level this year,’ he says. ‘But we’re also determined to lay a strong foundation for future Games so that the benefits will be sustained long in the longer term.’