Locals embrace Pacific Games in Port Moresby

Transcript

Spectators and volunteers are throwing their support behind the Pacific Games in the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby.

The Games bring together more than 3000 athletes from around the region contesting 28 sports over the next fortnight.

Our reporter Vinnie Wylie is at the games and he told Sally Round enthusiasm is high especially when PNG are in action.

VINNIE WYLIE: The PNG-New Zealand football match was pretty packed out a couple of days ago and the swimming finals, the first of those, there was a pretty rapturous crowd for the hometown hero. He had won the Commonwealth Gold back in 2006 and came out of retirement especially almost two years ago to compete here in the 2015 Games in front of his home supporters. He admits it wasn't a very easy couple of years getting back in the pool and all that but again it was all worth it after winning the 50m backstroke and he said it was a very unique and special feeling for him because up until a month ago Papua New Guinea didn't even have a 50m Olympic size pool.

SALLY ROUND: What's the mood like in the city there. How big an impact are the games having?

VW: I think it's almost impossible not to be aware the Pacific Games are happening here in Port Moresby. It's very much the focus of everything. The Prime Minister is at a number of events. The traffic, most streets have one or two lanes each way and the ones that are two lanes each way, one lane is dedicated specifically to traffic for the Pacific Games, so for official vehicles, VIP vehicles, buses shuttling athletes to and from venues and officials. What that means is that the transport can very much be at a standstill sometimes but it's all because PNG wants these games to go on without a hitch for the athletes, for the people competing. Subsequently the locals here are probably going to have to grin and bear it for a couple of weeks. There are so many volunteers here taking part, helping out. I was talking to a couple of people who are volunteering, helping with transport  and they're at venues from 8am til 10 o'clock at night and they're not getting a dollar for it, but they're here helping out. People are enthusiastic to show off their country. The opening ceremony on Saturday night was officially attended and opened by the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, and people that I was speaking to before, during and after the ceremony wanted to know, "what did you think, did you like it, did it represent PNG well, were you impressed?". There were dozens and dozens of dancers of different cultures and different walks of life throughout PNG, with of course its 800 different languages, it was very much an expression of the country. People are very proud here in Port Moresby to have the Pacific, and have people, coming to these games.

SR: And how are the games' venues holding up because there were some hiccups weren't there?

VW: Not all of the venues are completely finished and that's reality, and some of the venues - the fields are fine but around that there's a lot of dirt tracks and what not but your toilet facilities, your changing facilities, and your actual grounds for competing are fine. The Rita Flynn courts were due to hold the netball competition but because it wasn't completed in time it won't hold anything at these Pacific Games so those competitions have got moved to another venue but that was organised months ago and it wasn't a major issue; there was another venue, the Hubert Murray Stadium, which had the triathlon finish line and will also hold the finals for the football competition and was originally meant to hold the entire football competition but wasn't quite done in time so it's being held at the Bisini complex which includes a number of sports; cricket, softball, lawn bowls touch rugby, they're all being played here, it's a massive complex in Boroko. Maybe they're not 100 percent done yet but they're going to have a lasting legacy for the people of PNG.

SR: Now New Zealand and Australia are attending their first ever Pacific Games; what sort of impact are they having?

VW: People here in PNG are really happy to have New Zealand and Australia at the games. They both got a massive cheer at the opening ceremony; more than a lot of countries. New Zealand did a haka when they were presented on stage and that got a huge response. Australia did a very odd little jig but it was all in good spirits. People are excited to have them as part of the games, I guess and come into the wider Pacific family. They're only competing in four sports of course, and they've both already won medals in weightlifting, and the other sports they're competing in are sailing, taekwondo and rugby sevens. There was a bit of controversy with the New Zealand weightlifter Douglas Sekone-Fraser being sent home at the weekend after a post on Instragram where he used a hashtag of cannibals referring to the locals there, so New Zealand took a very strong stance on that and he's gone home before even competing; he was due to compete this week in the weightlifting. So that's been a bit of a blip. A lot of people hadn't heard about that here in PNG when speaking to them but those that had, or they'd seen it in the paper, they were disappointed, but they didn't hold it against New Zealand or Australia in a wider sense. They just thought that he'd made a poor choice of comment and maybe the punishment was deserved but they're still excited and they want New Zealand and Australia to be part of these games and a part of future games in a bigger capacity.