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Home News Papua New Guinea making waves for university sport: an interview with NUSF Secretary General, Cornelius Papau

Papua New Guinea making waves for university sport: an interview with NUSF Secretary General, Cornelius Papau

FISU 9 April 2021

Papua New Guinea has been a member of FISU since its foundation in 1985 and today is comprised of six universities reaching over 25,000 students nationwide. Part of the continental body of Oceania, the Papua New Guinea University Sports Association, or PNGSA, has its sights set on an ambitious future to engage university students even more within the country.

 

Daily operations for the PNGSA are overseen by Secretary General, Mr. Cornelius Papau, who spoke in detail about PNGSA that is comprised of the University of Papua New Guinea, Divine Word University, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, the University of Goroka, the PNG University of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Pacific Adventist University.

 

“To be able to get information distributed effectively across these networks of universities, the PNGSA relies on information to be passed to students by sports officers,” said Mr. Papau.

 

The NUSF also plans to work towards the following goals:

  • Realigning their governance structure
  • Engaging universities in a wider range of activities
  • Encouraging and facilitating the International Day of University Sport (IDUS) on all campuses
  • Funding intervarsity competitions once per calendar quarter
  • Integrating university sport into high performance programmes

 

By 2021, PNGSA hopes that there will be a higher engagement level with universities and more knowledge on intervarsity competitions. Mr. Papau explained the importance of how gender equality was promoted within PNGSA projects and programs by offering opportunities to students of all genders and also promoted this idea by eliminating a specific gender equity or inclusion policy. For Mr. Papau’s, it is important that students start to come back and participate in sport.  

 

For a nation of its size, PNGSA is making waves with students—brining the culture and a unique identity to university sport; providing as many students as possible with an equal opportunity according to Mr. Papau.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by FISU Ambassador: Phillie Julai