by A boxing association in the country has cried foul over the unfair selection of boxers for the XV Pacific Games in July by the PNG Boxing Union (PNGBU), the Post Courier (February 20) reports.
The National Capital District Amateur Boxing Association (NCDABA) president, Honk Kiap, called the selection process during the national boxing trials in Goroka “unjustified and unfair for most centers.”
Mr Kiap alleges that the PNGBU had flown a few fighters from Bougainville, Central and a non-boxing official from Vanimo while the rest of the fighters had to travel at their own expenses.
He added that if the union had secured funding from G4G program then they should have at least paid airline tickets for the elite boxers.
“It is ridiculous for such a thing to happen where some us made it our business and committed out time and effort to fly our boxers over to Goroka with our own funds.”
Kiap also questioned the criteria for selection after two NCD boxers were excluded from train-on squad on disciplinary grounds despite being allowed to compete in the trials.
He said boxers Allan Oeke (52kg) and Junior Kauka (56kg) had won all their bouts but were ruled out for selection by the PNGBU executives on disciplinary grounds relating to their implication in separate incidents in 2013.
“How can this be so, the two boxers were implicated in separate incidents in 2013 but were still allowed to participate at the trials and they proved their capabilities but at the end they were dropped and that’s a slap in the face for them.”
Kiap said this was demoralizing the level of standard set.
Meanwhile PNG Loop reported that NCDABA has announced that they will boycott the union’s annual general meeting (AGM) which will be held in September in Bougainville claiming the proper selection process for the meet venue was not followed.
