21 athletes from NSI’s development program to compete in forthcoming Championship

Twenty-one athletes from the National Sports Institute Athlete Development Program [ADP] will be among some of Papua New Guinea’s emerging talents that will compete in the National Championship next month.

The NSI ADP initiative is in its fourth year since its inception in 2020 and is aimed at fostering partnerships with National Federations to ensure there is a pathway for athletes to be part of the sports high-performance team.

PNG male sprinter Pais Wisil and Joy Tieba are amongst the 21-member team set for the athletics championship slated from December 5-7 in Port Moresby.

Micah Gaisane, Danny Warkit, Jeremiah Humphreys, Morris Marlins, Japhet Wilson and Wisil, will contest the open men’s and under-18 divisions for the 100m race.

Pacific Games representative Tieba will lead female content in Judy Michelle, Edna Boafa, Denlyne Kimbangi, Merna Martins and Tamara Baru.

Bradford Holie and Patricia Kuku will compete the 200m event whilst Lot Samare, Marykate Pias, Rayleen Kanam, Ashleahy Naptalai, George Mandakai and Nathan Kawona take on the 400m race.

Javelin competitor Damien Kote Marykate, an emerging talent will also test out the endurance race of 800m and 1500m distance.

Team manager Geoffrey Gideon said there was stiff competition in the sprint's events for selection at the coming Mini–Pacific Games, Palau 2025.

“It’s the only way we expose the emerging talents to compete against the best to gauge performance at such level so that we can continue to improve training in the future,” he said.

“Such program or academy concepts of this nature requires funding, trained specialist coaches, welfare and other support services to produce the best. Thank you coaches Mr. Philip Kamane & Mike Smith for set standards and training for the athletes.”

Meanwhile, the sport of athletics was chosen to start the program and create a good relationship and partnership with Athletics PNG.

The young athletes are identified by specialist coaches or talent identification officers from the village, school, regional and national competitions.

The raw talents undergo further tests on biomotor skills such as coordination, speed, strength, endurance, agility, and balance things of that nature related to a sport.

These athletes are offered an NSI residential scholarship to train under specialist coaches, with close monitoring of training and athlete welfare, and then exposed to ongoing competitions at all levels.

The program emphasizes strongly on both education and training, and both areas are given equal priorities, with additional on long life skills and values including extra curriculum on the leadership skills.

For those that have been through the program, Athletics PNG has offered them scholarship packages to continue training, competing, and studying in the US and Australia, and they are Paias Wisil, Timothy Tuna, Ephraim Lerkin, Alphonse Igish, and Jonathan Dende.