A seasoned mixed martial arts fighter, Steven Tommy, was recently appointed as the President of New Guinea Islands (NGI) Mixed Martial Arts Organization. Tommy has been involved in the martial arts code for over two decades, so he has the experience and expertise to lead the organization. He is also the Vice President of World Taekwondo PNG, which is headed by President Byron Chan.
The New Irelander began his mixed martial arts career in 2000. During his 20 years plus career, he has won a couple of championships both in PNG and abroad, as well as representing PNG in the Pacific Games and world events. He is one of the best experienced MMA fighters in the country currently, who is ranked as a 3rd dan fighter.
Tommy remarked that although there were senior men available for the top post, he was humbled and honored to get the opportunity to head the NGI MMA organization, and looks forward to performing to the best of his ability in his new role.
“Among my seniors and equals, I was fortunate to be appointed as the president of the NGI MMA Organization. I’m thankful to the board members for having the trust and confidence in me to lead the organization,” Tommy said.
“I respect my seniors so I will work closely with them, seeking their advice on how to go about delivering some of the programs we have and trying to meet our target in 2025. There will be challenges, but through collaboration and teamwork, we can achieve some things.”
The 3rd dan fighter looks up to some of the former and senior martial artists in the likes of Byron Chan (former MP for Namatanai), Master Jamuga Stone, Stanley Nandex, Walter Schnaubelt (current MP for Namatanai), Edward Kassman, to name a few.
He said as he was about to bring down the curtain in his career, he wanted to give back to the community and greater NGI by running martial arts programs and raising awareness on prevalent issues like law-and-order, homebrew, drugs, and other bad substances.
“As the president of NGI, I would work closely with president Byron Chan (World Taekwondo PNG) and other senior martial artists to come up with programs to host tournaments, scout talents, and raise awareness on social issues,” Tommy highlighted.
“Those who have given me the position as president are behind me. They want to work with me to unite the youths of NGI by addressing social issues through sports (MMA), and other life-changing activities. We can use sports as a tool to change our youths.”
He also thanked his parents for their constant support, including the Chan family, and others who have supported his martial arts career over the last 20 years. He expressed his sincerest gratitude to those people who have stuck with him through thick and thin.
Tommy is a shy person but he has come out of his comfort zone and tried to lead. He thanked the PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC) for instilling confidence in him to take on leadership positions by enrolling him at the IBS college, undertaking Business Management courses relating to sports discipline - such as strength & conditioning, coaching, etc.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the PNG Olympic Committee through their OSEP program for helping me to study some courses like strength & conditioning, and coaching. Through these courses, I built my confidence to take up leadership roles,” he said.
President Tommy admitted that there would be challenges this year, but with the guidance and experience of the senior martial artists, he hopes that they will give their best to lift the standard of MMA in NGI and execute some of the programs they have in place.
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