Category Archives: Oceania

19/07/2017

Oceania

Four different nations took part in the FIBA Oceania Development Camp 2017

GUAM Every two years, teams from around the Oceania come together to compete at the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships. It is a chance for the best youth players to compete against each other, make new friends and determine a champion.

For some countries, it is the chance to size themselves up against regional powerhouses, Australia and New Zealand, who boast huge populations and notoriously talented youth basketball teams.

With amazing basketball facilities, national junior high-performance programs and teams of people managing the development of basketball in their country, Australia and New Zealand always prove to be a formidable foe. Whilst others countries in the region only have one or two volunteers to manage all basketball matters in the country and play their National Championships on outdoor courts.

All nations share the same love and passion for the sport of basketball but some have more development opportunities and resources than others. This is why FIBA in Oceania created the FIBA Oceania Development Camp.

Following the group phase of the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships 2017, teams were split into Division A and Division B. The Division A teams played off for a medal whereas the Division B teams received a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of these athletes.

At the conclusion of the Division B Medal games, players and coaches from these were invited to attend a 2-day development camp conducted by FIBA in Oceania Development Manager Annie La Fleur. Guest coaches included Basketball Australia Head of High Performance Coach Development Peter Lonogan, New Zealand U17 Mens Head Coach Miles Pierce and New Zealand U17 Womens Head Coach Jody Cameron.

The focus of the camp was on "the fantastic five of basketball - pivot, pass, dribble, shoot and individual defense, said Mr. Lonogan.

Picture 50 teenage athletes from the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau and Tahiti national teams together on the court, working together and learning from each other. Some of these athletes had never played on a court with floorboards before this event and now they are being coached by some of the best in the region.

FIBA Oceania has had a strong commitment to player & coach development for a long time and it was an honor to play a small part in this endeavor. The energy for learning is always great in these sessions and the Pacific athletes were very receptive.

Coach Pierce working one-on-one with the athletes

This was a very humbling experience for me, added Mr. Pierce. It felt amazing being able to work with these kids, they were great. Even with some language barriers with the French speaking athletes, you could see how eager they were to listen and learn.

It was fantastic to see all of these athletes taking everything in, said La Fleur. They were very receptive to what the coaches had to say and tried to perfect everything they asked. Growing up in Papua New Guinea, we were never exposed to this level of coaching. I am very proud to be a part of something that is providing these types of opportunities to athletes.

FIBA

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First ever FIBA U17 Oceania Development Camp a huge success - FIBA

Pacific Oceania have made a winning start to their Davis Cup tennis campaign, beating Syria 2-1 in their opening tie in Sri Lanka.

Tahiti's Heve Kelley defeated Yacoub Makzoume 6-3 1-6 6-2 in the opening singles rubber in Colombo before Colin Sinclair from the Northern Marianas sealed the result, beating Kareem Al Allaf 6-4 6-0 in his debut match.

Tahiti's Heve Kelley Photo: Supplied

The doubles pairing of Brett Baudinet and Aymeric Mara were unable to complete the clean sweep, losing in three sets.

Hosts Sri Lanka also made a winning start in Pool A, beating Jordan 2-1, while Lebanon and Qatar had 2-1 victories over Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Pacific Oceania are one of nine teams in Asia/Oceania Zone Group Three, competing for two promotion spots.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Oceania women begin their Fed Cup campaign tomorrow against Iran in Tajikistan, as they bid to earn promotion from Group Two.

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Sport: Pacific Oceania make winning start to Davis Cup - Radio New Zealand

As well as in-store presence.

Whirlpool has appointed Jarrod Glenister to the role of national sales manager and Paul Cvitkovic as marketing coordinator for its integrated Oceania business, at a time when it is investing in-store and online featuring its Australia brand partner, Scott Gooding.

Based out of Whirlpool Oceania headquarters in Melbourne, Jarrod Glenister brings a wealth of experience in the FMCG industry, having spent more than 20 years with Kimberly-Clarke Australia across a wide variety of sales and management roles. Most recently, Glenister led the strategy and execution of Kimberly-Clark Australias growth across key retail channels as its national channel manager.

Whirlpool Oceania national sales manager, Jarrod Glenister

Commenting on his appointment, Glenister said, I am really excited to be joining such an iconic company thats recognised globally for its innovation, sustainability and social responsibility practices. The Whirlpool and Ariston brands have experienced strong growth across the Oceania region over the last 12 months, and I look forward to working closely with our key trade partners to continue to deliver innovation that delights our customers.

With 11 years of experience working with a range of organisations as diverse as JB Hi-Fi, the Victoria Police Force and most recently Dometic Australia, Paul Cvitkovic will provide key marketing support across the company to implement campaigns, manage its website and social media accounts, and support broader consumer-focused marketing and communication activities.

Whirlpool Oceania marketing coordinator, Paul Cvitkovic

Whirlpool Oceania managing director, Silvia Del Vitto said, These latest appointments underscore a period of exciting growth for the Whirlpool brand as we look to expand our local footprint, drive front-end sales, support our key retailers, and further drive our brand awareness. We are confident that appointing Jarrod and Paul to our marketing team, we will have the knowledge and passion, to successfully drive these ambitions.

The Whirlpool team is keen to continue along its positive growth trajectory, introducing innovative category offerings across; cooking, dishwasher and refrigeration, whilst continuing with its legacy in laundry. Through investment in new partnerships, marketing strategies and most importantly, people, we intend to further solidify Whirlpool Australias market position, complementing its growing cooking and kitchen portfolio that centres on healthy cooking, simplicity and family, she added.

The Good Guys Whirlpool display

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Whirlpool Oceania bolsters local executive team - Appliance Retailer

KUALA LUMPUR: Any hopes of securing an immediate return to Group II were dashed after the national team went down 2-0 to Qatar under unfortunate circumstances in their final Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone Group III match in Colombo, Sri Lanka today.

The opening game saw Perlis-born Koay Hao Sheng going down in three sets 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, 4-6 to Jabor Al-Mutawa after which Assri Merzuki took to the court for the second singles against Shanna Mubarak.

Assri, however, was forced to retire from the match due to an ankle injury which saw Qatar securing a straightforward 2-0 win. The Sarawakian was leading 3-2 in the opening set when he was forced to call it quits.

National head coach Muliyadi Jamal was not happy with the condition of the clay courts used for the match.

"It is very sad for our campaign to end this way," said a dejected Muliyadi.

"The court surface was bad, it was dry and cracked in certain places. We lodged a complaint with the tournament referee. It is disappointing.

"Assri had to be rushed to the hospital and we are now waiting for doctor's report. Hopefully it's not that bad as we can't afford to lose our key player for the Sea Games."

Christian Didier Chin was scheduled to take to the court for the doubles with Assri.

The national team, which will remain in Group III next year, would have qualified for the semi-finals had they won against Qatar. Malaysia had defeated Turkmenistan (3-0) and United Arab Emirates (2-1) but went down 2-1 to second seeds Lebanon earlier in the competition.

Originally posted here:

Malaysia go down to Qatar in Asia-Oceania Davis Cup, miss out promotion - New Straits Times Online

Pacific Oceania have made an emphatic start to their Fed Cup tennis campaign, sweeping Iran 3-0 in their opening match in Tajikistan.

Samoa's Steffi Carruthers beat Yasmin Mansouri 6-4 6-2 in the opening singles rubber before Papua New Guinea's Abigail Tere-Apisah clinched victory with a 6-3 6-0 trouncing of Sara Amiri.

With the result secure, Mayka Zima and Carol Lee were given a chance to impress in the doubles and fought back from a set down to win 2-6 6-3 6-2.

The Pacific Oceania Fed Cup team in Tajikistan. Photo: Supplied

The team will face Hong Kong later today, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals of Asia/Oceania Zone Group Two.

Meanwhile the Pacific Oceania men's team have been beaten 2-1 by hosts Sri Lanka in their latest Davis Cup tie.

Tahiti's Heve Kelley was thrashed 6-1 6-3 by Harshana Godamanna in the first singles rubber before Colin Sinclair from the Northern Mariana's levelled proceedings after defeating Sharmal Dissanyake 6-4 6-4.

But, with the match on the line, Brett Baudinet and Aymeric Mara were outclassed 6-3 6-1 in the clay in the decisive doubles tie.

Pacific Oceania are back in action today against Jordan.

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Sport: Pacific Oceania make winning start to Fed Cup | Radio New ... - Radio New Zealand

Fiji's Cema Nasau on the move. OFC U-19 Women's Championship 2017, Samoa v Fiji, Ngahue Reserve Auckland, Monday 17th July 2017. Photo: David Joseph / http://www.phototek.nz

After finding the net in four of Fijis five games at the OFC U-17 Womens Championship in 2016, Cema Nasau is already back on Oceanias score sheet.

She scored twice in Fijis 4-0 win over Tonga in their opening match of the OFC U-19 Womens Championship 2017 on Tuesday 11 July Ngahue Reserve in Auckland, New Zealand.

Nasaus competitive nature came out in full force when she took the field for her country at Ngahue Reserve in Auckland.

The young midfielder opened scoring for Fiji in the 30th minute of the game when her shooting skills were called to action at the penalty spot following a Tonga handball. After two more goals from captain Luisa Tamanitoakula, a 65th minute screamer from Nasau secured the win and a crucial three points for Fiji. Although scoring for her country is no new experience for the young midfielder, Nasau was overwhelmed with pride following the promising win.

I feel very proud about my goals because this is such a big competition and the teams are very good, she said.

Although Nasau only discovered her passion for football two years ago, her experience at the U-17 Championship and development with Fiji club Ba F.C. has the midfielder feeling confident about her second ever OFC campaign.

I think Ive made a big improvement from last year, she said. I learned a lot in the U-17s and I came to the U-19s with more experience and Ive improved in my position. She said there was a big difference between the U-17s and the U-19s but she did not think the competition was harder because she knew that she had got better too.

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Nasau Back On Oceania's Score Sheet | Fiji Sun - Fiji Sun Online

ATHLETICS: Competing for the first time overseas against older competition and in testing weather conditions didn't faze Annie McGuire.

Instead, she rose to the challenge on the international stage to return home with two gold medals from the Oceania Athletics Championships in Fiji.

The Lockyer District Athletics Club member triumphed in the under-18 long jump and the 4x100m relay events.

Despite not knowing she was going to be part of the relay until she landed at the championships in Suva, the 16-year-old went on to run the second leg in a record time of 47.73.

In the long jump she came out on top with a jump of 5.73m, more than 20cm further than her nearest competitor.

Although she didn't smash her personal best of 5.90m, which was recorded at the national titles earlier this year, Annie was pleased with a good few days' work.

"I love knowing that all my hard work and training has paid off in the end, Annie said.

"I just really wanted to get a PB - that didn't happen but winning the medal made it better.

The weather conditions made jumping difficult, with a blustery headwind disrupting proceedings after a heavy downpour of rain had welcomed the athletes to the arena.

"There was a really strong headwind against me, it was hard to get a good run-up, she said.

"All the other girls weren't jumping near their best either.

The teenager was also selected in the Athletics Australia's Under 17 Development Squad, which will see her travel down to Canberra for a camp in November at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Annie hopes her recent success will give her a boost towards her goal of representing her country at a Commonwealth or Olympics Games.

She is under the wing of legendary Lockyer District Athletics Club head coach Bailey Pashley, who has long served as her coach.

"Annie is a great competitor and can pull out a best effort at her final attempt, which she did once more, Pashley said.

"Since winning the national title in March, (Annie) has had to continue with a further three months of training while others were into the recovery period. She has had to keep motivated to overcome this long season and avoid overtraining and fatigue.

"She will continue training under a more relaxed program for a few weeks until the school competition gets serious about mid-August.

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Annie brings home gold from Oceania Championships - Gatton Star

19/07/2017

Oceania

Four different nations took part in the FIBA Oceania Development Camp 2017

GUAM Every two years, teams from around the Oceania come together to compete at the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships. It is a chance for the best youth players to compete against each other, make new friends and determine a champion.

For some countries, it is the chance to size themselves up against regional powerhouses, Australia and New Zealand, who boast huge populations and notoriously talented youth basketball teams.

With amazing basketball facilities, national junior high-performance programs and teams of people managing the development of basketball in their country, Australia and New Zealand always prove to be a formidable foe. Whilst others countries in the region only have one or two volunteers to manage all basketball matters in the country and play their National Championships on outdoor courts.

All nations share the same love and passion for the sport of basketball but some have more development opportunities and resources than others. This is why FIBA in Oceania created the FIBA Oceania Development Camp.

Following the group phase of the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships 2017, teams were split into Division A and Division B. The Division A teams played off for a medal whereas the Division B teams received a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of these athletes.

At the conclusion of the Division B Medal games, players and coaches from these were invited to attend a 2-day development camp conducted by FIBA in Oceania Development Manager Annie La Fleur. Guest coaches included Basketball Australia Head of High Performance Coach Development Peter Lonogan, New Zealand U17 Mens Head Coach Miles Pierce and New Zealand U17 Womens Head Coach Jody Cameron.

The focus of the camp was on "the fantastic five of basketball - pivot, pass, dribble, shoot and individual defense, said Mr. Lonogan.

Picture 50 teenage athletes from the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau and Tahiti national teams together on the court, working together and learning from each other. Some of these athletes had never played on a court with floorboards before this event and now they are being coached by some of the best in the region.

FIBA Oceania has had a strong commitment to player & coach development for a long time and it was an honor to play a small part in this endeavor. The energy for learning is always great in these sessions and the Pacific athletes were very receptive.

Coach Pierce working one-on-one with the athletes

This was a very humbling experience for me, added Mr. Pierce. It felt amazing being able to work with these kids, they were great. Even with some language barriers with the French speaking athletes, you could see how eager they were to listen and learn.

It was fantastic to see all of these athletes taking everything in, said La Fleur. They were very receptive to what the coaches had to say and tried to perfect everything they asked. Growing up in Papua New Guinea, we were never exposed to this level of coaching. I am very proud to be a part of something that is providing these types of opportunities to athletes.

FIBA

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FIBA U17 Oceania Development Camp - FIBA

Dominance from both the Crocs and Sapphires has resulted inFIBA Oceania U17 double gold for Australia.

The men and women breezed past their competition, with the only real test coming against New Zealand in both gold medal games.

The story of the tournament for the under 17 Australian men was truly in the statistics.

Through their five games they averaged142.6 points, 27 steals, and a winning margin of 104.2 points per game (Team Statistics).

They held their opposition to single digit scoring in 11 of their 20 quarters played, while managing to score above 30 points in 14 of them. That is more than just outstanding, it was simply pure dominance.

The coaching staff was able to spread the minutes, with no player averaging less than 16 minutes per game.

As was expected, the Crocs faced New Zealand in the gold medal game. They managed to win every quarter in what was a convincing 93-55 win (Box Score). Samson Froling was rightfully awarded MVP for the final, recording a big double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Froling was also named in the all-star five for the tournament, along with teammates Sean MacDonald, and Kody Stattmann who were also brilliant throughout the event (Player Statistics).

After the gold medal game, Stattmann discussed his teams success, Overall, I think we did really good. Coach told us to go out and play aggressive, and I think we did that throughout the tournament.

Feels great. All the boys put in hard work and we didnt get much training before we came, but overall its a great feeling, he said.

Just like the Crocs, the Sapphires dominated throughout the tournament and were arguably even more impressive.

They averaged 135 points, 25.6 steals, and a winning margin of 112 points per game (Team Statistics).

Their defense was incredible, keeping their opposition to three points or less in 11 out of 20 quarters. When they played the Marshall Islands, they held them to just three points for the entire game such was the gap in quality between the sides. No doubt coach Tracy York would have been disappointed that they let Tamara Andrike get loose for those three points! If you want to look at one of the most lop-sided box scores youll ever see, click here.

In the gold medal game, New Zealand proved to be no pushover, making Australia work for their win. The Kiwis in fact led by a point at quarter time, no doubt sending a scare through the Australian camp. However, the Sapphires managed to gain control of the game over the next three periods and run away 81-60 winners (Box Score).

Shyla Heal was named MVP of the trans-Tasman clash for her 13 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. She was also named in the all-star five for the tournament along with fellow countrywomen Miela Goodchild and Isabelle Bourne who were outstanding all week (Player Statistics).

The next step for the both sides is the FIBA U18 Asia Championships next year. After the gold medal game, Bourne spoke about what her side was expecting in 2018.

Were really excited to be going to the Asia Championships, but we still gotta work hard. We just need to prepare for the harder physicality and I think well be alright, she said.

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Double gold dominance for Australia at FIBA Oceania U17 Championships - The Pick and Roll (blog)

The University of the South Pacific (USP) will be working with a team of scientists from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and regional experts and key stakeholders from the region, to identify the most critical water security, equity, and sustainability issues facing New Zealand and the rest of Oceania, as well as develop solutions to tackle the challenges.

Dr Krishna Kotra, Science Programme Coordinator at USPs Emalus Campus in Port Vila said the university had been a champion in the research front in the Pacific with in-house and collaborative projects being undertaken.

USP has made these research works part of their curriculum and also provides first-hand training to its students, Dr Kotra said.

The university is moving towards being an excellent university hence has been vibrant in all areas of research both in the Pacific and all over the world.

He said USPs Emalus campus had been hosting these types of collaborative research initiatives for the best usage of student engagement and as a part of science promotion in the region and capacity building.

Dr Kotra welcomed the collaborative initiative from the University of Auckland and Dr Lokesh Padhye; and stressed that the Emalus campus and USP would certainly be part of the network and looked forward to finding sustainable solutions for the needs of the Pacific.

Emalus Campus manager Ruben Markward welcomed Dr Lokesh Padhye and said that the campus was looking forward to these initiatives.

The research work into water quality and sustainability in Oceania was the topic of a presentation by Dr Lokesh Padhye, Senior Lecturer in Engineering of the University of Auckland, hosted by USPs Emalus Campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on June 14.

The Oceania Water Research (OWRC) was established by the Auckland University and Dr Padhye said that its intention was to create a network of researchers in Oceanic to carry out this project.

Source: University of the South Pacific

Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj

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Experts to assess, develop solutions for Oceania water - Fiji Sun Online