By CHARLIE DUMAVI
PAPUA New Guinea Boxing Union (PNGBU) has hosted a two-day referees and judges refresher course to up skill the game officials with the evolving rules and techniques of the game.
The workshop started on Wednesday 19 – 20 April, 2023 at Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby.
PNGBU is glad to have Seru Whippy, a three-star referee and judge and Fiji’s Boxing Referees and Judges Development coordinator who was present to run the workshop.
PNGBU president Dr Gideon Kendino said there were 15 participants and the event was a much needed one to prepare the game’s officials to professionally officiate the game in the country.
Four of the referees will be selected after the course to be sent to Tonga to attend the Oceania Youth championship coming month (May).
“We are trying to improve the standard of referees by getting them to do the refresher,” Dr Kendino said.
“The referees have had experience in the local club level. All we want to do is to get them to be thought the latest boxing technique, safety and the craft and to speed up the process of running a tournament.
“Boxing is trying to go global. When we get them trained in that level, they will be the one to go down and to the association and club level in the provinces. That’s when we see rise in quality,” Dr Kendino said.
He said after the referees and judges’ course is done, they are going to facilitate for the local boxing coaches in order for them to be trained and raise the standard of the game in the country.
Dr Kendino also stressed that PNGBU is in line with PNG Sport foundation’s “Go rural, go global strategy”.
PNGBU want to equip their local referees, judges and coaches to become champions so that they can represent PNG and win medals in the sport of boxing.
Moreover, PNGBU general secretary Martin Liri added that they are looking at working with the local sporting officials to reach parts of PNG to get children as young as twelve years into boxing.
However, the two expressed that sporting codes in the likes of boxing do not get the needed support from government and other partners to execute their plans.
Despite being one of the codes that win medal for PNG on national sporting arena, Liri said boxing lacks funding and support.
PNGBU is therefore, calling on interested parties to step forward and work with them and raise champions who will win medals for PNG.
