PNG Swimming

🏊‍♀️ Congratulations Jhnayali Tokome-Garap!

PNG Swimming Inc is proud to congratulate Jhnayali Tokome-Garap on being named one of the three finalists for the Junior Female Athlete of the Year at the 2026 SP Sports Awards.

This recognition is a testament to Jhnayali’s dedication, discipline, hard work, and outstanding achievements in the pool.

As the winner of the Junior Female Athlete of the Year is announced tonight at the SP Sports Awards Night, we wish Jhnayali all the very best and celebrate this incredible achievement regardless of the outcome. Being selected among the top three junior female athletes in the country is an honour in itself and a reflection of the remarkable year she has had.

Join us in cheering on Jhnayali and all other finalists as we celebrate sporting excellence in Papua New Guinea.

📺 The Awards Night will be livestreamed via the SP Sports Awards page tonight 6:30pm.

Swimmers return from 14th Oceania Swimming Championships today

Debutants Nicholas Vava and Ashton Nasinom of the Lae Amateur Swimming Club, along with Sujith Noka and Tehila Vavar of the Boroko Amateur Swimming Club, proudly represented Papua New Guinea at the Oceania Swimming Championships in Fiji, making their international debut on a competitive stage. Our four debutants returned today to PNG.

The team was also led by Olympian Josh Tarere, alongside Thomas Chen and his sister, Joanna Chen, all of whom bring valuable international experience to the squad. Also part of the team was 15-year-old Roxanne Kirarock, competing in her second international meet, who impressed with confident racing and achieved personal bests across all her events.

All four of these athletes are based in Queensland and Victoria, where they continue their training and development, with Josh Tarere training on the Gold Coast under a World Aquatics Scholarship program.

Across the team, performances reflected determination and progress, with personal bests highlighting the athletes’ hard work and commitment on the international stage. The results underscore the continued growth of swimming in Papua New Guinea, with the team proudly representing their country and delivering outstanding efforts throughout the championships.

The Team management comprised of Team Manager Jean Valu - Vava, Head Coach Rick Van der Zant and Assistant Coach Albert Vigil. PNGs Technical Official Gilbert Camillus was invited and officiated at the championships in Fiji.

Well Done to our 8 swimmers for representing PNG well over the past 4 days of swimming in Suva, Fiji

Our final swim tonight at the 14th Oceania Swimming Championships will see Team PNG’s Thomas, Sujith, Nicholas and Josh take on the Men’s 400m Freestyle Relay Final! 🇵🇬

One last race boys — dig deep, swim hard and finish these Championships strong! 💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿
Go Team!!!!!

Team PNG

We’ve reached the final session of the 14th Oceania Swimming championships. Some of our swimmers and Team Officials had a photo opportunity with our PNG Technical officials in Fiji, Shane and Gilbert.

Wishing Thomas, Nicholas, Joanna and Tehila the best as they race in the first relay tonight in the Mixed 400M Freestyle Relay Final!

Let’s Finish Strong Team 💪🏿 🇵🇬




PC: J Valu-Vava