The Papua New Guinea Kickboxing Federation (PNGKBF) will have a tight calendar in 2024, starting with the Regional Kickboxing Championships in the Four Regions (Southern, Highlands, MOMASE and Islands), followed by the National Championship on June in Lae and the upcoming World Championship on November in Spain.
Southern will be the first Region to stage its Regional Tournament on Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, at Bomana Correctional Institute Service (CIS) in Port Moresby, followed by Highlands, MOMASE and Islands Regions to host their Regional Tournaments.
Four Regional Kickboxing Championships will be hosted in 2024 and the best fighters will be selected in their respective regions to participate at the National Championship in Lae. The cream of the crop will then be selected from the National Championship to take part at the World Championship in Spain.
PNGKBF President, Stanley Nandex, said the fighters had gone through a rigorous training program in preparation for the Regional Kickboxing Championships, including the National Championship and World Championship.
“Our target for this year moving forward is the World Championship in Spain in November. Last year, we did a good development program, targeting all our regions through the Regional Championship process. This year, we will go through the same process,” President Nandex said.
“We have four Regional Championships coming up. Each of the regions will be selecting their best fighters for the National Championship selection. When we look at the world class championship like that, particularly the international or World Championship, the demand is quite high.
“This year, the fighters are right on the track. We are starting with the Southern Regional Kickboxing Championship. We will then move up to the Highlands Region, followed by MOMASE and the Islands Regions.
“Each of the fighters must go through the same process and qualify themselves. The National Championship is the final selection towards the International Championship.”
Mr. Nandex also thanked Trophy Haus for the timely sponsorship and urged other corporate houses to come on board and support the PNG Kickboxing Federation, the fighters in particular.
“Most importantly, sponsors make things happen and we are really appreciative of Trophy Haus who understand the importance of these events and jump on board quickly to sponsor us,” he expressed.
“We normally come to Trophy Haus and purchase the trophies and merchandise since we established the organization.
“But this time, Trophy Haus has come in good with sponsorship, in terms of trophies, merchandise and K5,000 cash money. So, we would like to thank Trophy Haus for the timely sponsorship.
“We will also have similar programs with other sponsors who are keen to come on board and sponsor the fighters. It’s about raising the best fighters in PNG to take part in the world event.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PNG Kickboxing Federation hasn’t done much to roll out some of the important programs for the fighters, especially their intensive training session. However, PNGKBF aims to see the fighters prepare for five or six years in intensive training, so that they can perform well and elevate their skills to a higher level.
In addition, most of the fighters are living in different provinces and it’s very hard when they want to put them back in one place and prepare them for those major events. Some of the fighters don’t have visas and passports, so it’s important that they stay in the same camp to prepare their documents and make selection early to avoid mixing up everything.
Meanwhile, most of the fighters will partake in the world championship for the first time, so it will be an eye-opener and new experience for them, and also elevating them into the senior ranks. The fighters have been in intensive training in preparation for the Regional Championships, National Championship and International Championship.
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