Speech to Women in Sport Mentoring Program workshop
31 March 2007, Culinary Delight, Waigani, Port Moresby, PNG
Meg Tapia, Second Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
INTRO
I am very pleased to have been invited here to speak to you today at the start of your coaches mentoring workshop.
I am not going to speak for long because I know that you all want to get on with this important workshop.
I must admit that unlike other speakers and participants here today, my sporting achievements have been few and far between.
Unlike Mrs Veitu Diro – one of the longest serving women in sport in PNG – I have never been very good at netball.
And unlike Mrs Florence Bundu – who has worked tirelessly to promote women in sports in PNG – I have also never been very good at softball and, lets face it, I am too short to play basketball.
However, I have always been a believer in the positive outcomes – for individuals and communities – that are achieved through participation in sport.
I firmly believe that women supporting each other through mentoring and coaching will allow more women and girls to become involved in sport, and give them the confidence to become involved in the decision making processes that affect their lives.
With this in mind, I would like to make a few comments about the Australian Government’s support for sport in PNG and also our support for this mentoring project.
Before I start I would like to congratulate Mrs Diro for recently being awarded an International Olympic Committee Trophy for her outstanding contribution to strengthening the participation of women and girls in sport.
Your award was richly deserved.
The award also highlights how appropriate it is that you are the chairperson of the Women in Sport Committee and in charge of the Mentoring Program.
What better mentor – what better role model - can you, the participants in this workshop, have than someone who has made such an outstanding contribution to strengthening the participation of women and girls in sport in PNG?
WOMEN IN SPORT MENTORING PROGRAM
As some of you will know the Australian Government is supporting the Women in Sport Mentoring Program through a scheme called the Australian Sports Outreach Program, or ASOP.
ASOP funding is allowing the PNG Women in Sport Committee to hold three mentoring workshops this year. This is the first of those workshops.
As a close partner and friend of PNG, Australia is pleased to be supporting these workshops and pleased to be supporting the development of women in PNG, including in sport.
ASOP aims to encourage the participation of a wide range of community members in sport, especially those traditionally marginalised, including women.
The ASOP selection criteria specify that preference is given to bids that have benefits for women and girls, and allow women and girls to be directly involved in decision making processes.
This workshop should have benefits for you, as female sports coaches. It should also help you to be involved in decision making processes.
So, on behalf of the Australian Government, I can say that we are very proud to see the aims of ASOP becoming a reality through this workshop.
As a close partner and friend of PNG, Australia is happy to have played a small part in making that happen. We are happy to be supporting all of you here today.
ASOP
I would like to tell you a little bit more about the ASOP scheme.
ASOP was launched by the Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard in November 2005.
ASOP replaced the successful Australia-South Pacific Sports Program - ASP2006.
During its lifetime ASP2006 provided around $80,000 to various sporting bodies in PNG.
I am sure you have all heard of Dika Toua. She is a successful young female weightlifter and a beneficiary of the ASP2006 scheme.
ASOP has a strong focus on developmental sport programs. By focusing on development in sport (rather than the elite) we can bring about real, sustainable change in the community.
ASOP provides grants of up to $10,000 per country to assist local sporting programs and initiatives.
This year we are supporting four programs in PNG, including the PNG Women in Sport Mentoring Program.
SUPPORT FOR SPORT
ASOP – of course – is just one element of the strong bilateral relationship between Australia and PNG.
This relationship is strong on many levels: government-to-government, business-to-business, and people-to-people. It is also strong in the area of sport – and I’m not just talking about the rugby league.
As well as ASOP, the Australian government is involved in the Sports For Development Initiative, through its aid agency, AusAID.
Sports For Development supports nation-building in PNG and aims to enhance links between communities, and promote community cohesion at the local and national levels.
The Initiative uses sport as a vehicle for community development. In a similar way, ASOP is about developing sport, particularly at the grassroots level.
Both programs are a demonstration of Australia’s commitment to work with PNG, as a close partner and friend.
CLOSING
I would now like to close with a few comments.
As I said, the Australian Government is pleased to be supporting this mentoring program. We do recognise however, that ours is only a small contribution.
The hard work is being done by you, the organisers, by the Women in Sport Committee.
I mentioned at the outset that I am not great at netball, or softball, or basketball for that matter.
But for me, it is not important that I become best at any sport I choose, but that I choose to participate in sport.
Whether it's netball or softball, swimming or boxing, surfing or riding motorbikes, it’s important to be involved and to have the support and encouragement of women around you.
That is what the Women in Sports Committee provides – advice, support and encouragement.
Most importantly, you provide a path for the future of women in sport in PNG.
On behalf of the Australian Government I would like to offer my congratulations to the Women in Sport Committee for your efforts to date and wish you the best of luck in the future, including in the workshops this year.
To the participants, can I say: I hope that you make the most of these workshops.
Take the lessons that you learn out into your communities so that you can develop and promote female participation in sport at all levels in PNG.
Thankyou.
END