Cricket PNG seeks new coach; West Papua football talent academy founded; and French Polynesia prepares for the Pacific Games
Cricket coach leaves role
PNG Barramundis head coach Carl Sandri has resigned.
The Post Courier reports that Sandri has been on leave from Cricket PNG since returning from the last ICC T20 World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe, where the Barramundis finished third.
PNG Barramundis trainer Carl Sandri.
Photo: screenshot
He was not on the team during the last tour of Australia where they played in the NT Strike Top End T20 competition.
Cricket PNG said Sandri decided to step down for personal and family reasons, which impacted his ability to travel with the team and spend sufficient time in PNG.
Cricket PNG board chairman Michael Harrison said Sandri has been guiding the Barramundis through a very difficult and unprecedented time due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
“It is unfortunate that Covid-19 happened early in Sandri’s appointment as it severely impacted his ability to mobilize for PNG and work closely with the players.
“Both parties agreed that this is critical for any Cricket PNG coach and important to the longer-term success of the Cricket PNG high-performance program,” Harrison said.
Despite taking on the role of head coach at the height of Covid restrictions, Sandri led the Barramundis to their first Senior ICC T20 World Cup.
The Barramundis won a bilateral ODI series in Nepal and recorded their first Cricket World Cup League Two series win under his stewardship.
The President establishes the West Papua Football Academy
Indonesian President Joko Widodo played football with young talents from the Papua Football Academy when he founded an academy for youngsters to improve their talents.
In one broadcast, Widodo was spotted passing the ball with young players at Lukas Enembe Stadium in West Papua.
Widodo says West Papua has multiple talents in the sporting field, including football, athletics and rowing.
As part of the academy, children from the age of 12 have the opportunity to join the various age group national teams and the Indonesian senior national teams.
Up to 30 Papuan boys were selected from a total of 477 entries, with talent scouting being conducted in the cities of Timika, Merauke and Jayapura.
All students receive a full scholarship for a two-year education.
Olympic Committee prepares for next Pacific Games
The French Polynesia Olympic Committee has launched a multi-party project to prepare athletes for next year’s Pacific Games.
Officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sport of French Polynesia, the French Ministry of Sport and the jointly-led Youth and Sport Technical Assistance Mission have been invited to help plan a course for the Games to be held in Solomon Islands in 2023.
This includes training, team selection and collaboration opportunities.
After 2023, French Polynesia is set to host the next Pacific Games.
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