Special Olympics PNG stages 3x3 Basketball Mini Games

The Special Olympics Papua New Guinea (SOPNG) hosted its 3x3 Basketball Mini Games for kids with "Intellectual Disabilities" on Saturday, 13 June 2026, at Sir John Guise Stadium Indoor Complex.

Five schools and two communities attended the event, including Cheshire Home, Saint Peter's, Red Cross, Tubusereia’s Gwarume Mase, and Gerehu Swamp. Over 50 kids, from 10 to 18 years old, participated in the event.

SOPNG introduced the 3x3 basketball concept into its annual sporting program this year, specifically designed to engage children with intellectual disabilities in various schools across Port Moresby. 

“This is a new sport that SOPNG has introduced this year. We provide yearly sporting programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities in various schools in the city,” SOPNG acting Program Manager, Austin Nasio, explained. 

“For now, we have a few teams participating in the event, but we will reach out to more schools to participate in the future. This is our way of using sports as a tool to promote inclusion within this space.” 

Nasio revealed that the SOPNG is planning to partner with the Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea (BFPNG) to assist athletes with intellectual disabilities in officiating games, running short clinics, and nurturing the kids. 

“We are working on an MoU to sign with the Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea, where we will engage their officials to officiate our games and help the athletes reach the bigger competitions,” he said. 

Mr. Nasio mentioned that from this event, the best players in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions will be selected to participate in the Regional 3x3 Basketball Tournament scheduled on 5 December 2026, in Manila, Philippines.