Match action at the PACIFICAUS Sports Futsal Series between Australia and Solomon Islands at Heffron Centre, Sydney. Photo: Speed Media Images
Futsal - Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands' Futsal team secured its best-ever result against Australia with a 1-1 draw in Sydney at the weekend.
Charlie Otainao scored the equaliser for the Kurukuru on 32 minutes.
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, met the players before the match.
Solomon Islands play the Futsalroos in the second match of the series on Monday night and again on Wednesday.
Rugby - Fijiana
The Fijiana Drua players and management received $FJ 8,000 each from the government in a special presentation ceremony held in Suva on Friday.
The 32 members of the Fiji national women's rugby team were promised the financial gift following their successful defence of the 2023 Super W competition title three months ago.
In his address, prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the Fijiana Drua has brought pride to Fiji.
The players are still owed almost FJ$180,000 in total allowances from the 2022 Women's Rugby World Cup, the one-off Test against the Australian Wallaroos, and the Oceania Women's Rugby Championship held two months ago.
Squash - PNG success
Papua New Guinea junior squash players won gold medals for their age groups at the Queensland Junior Championships.
Port Moresby Racquets Club director Merlyn Alarcos told The National this was big news for junior squash development.
Joshua Porter won the U-19 men's division, while Timonaliz Alarcos-Kriebisch won the U-13 girls' title.
PNG also took a second place and a third.
Rugby league - Tongan juniors
The Tonga National Schoolboys U-16 rugby league team lost their first game of their Australian tour to the Manly U-16 in Sydney.
Manly proved too strong for the Tongans, coming out 18-4 winners.
Team manager Fane Fangufangu Fituafe said it was a strong opening match for the visitors but they had learned from the game.
The Tongans next game will be against West Tigers U-16 in Sydney on Tuesday.
Basketball - Tonga
Tonga's men's basketball team has high ambitions for this year's Pacific Games.
National basketball director Cahn Fizgerald told RNZ Pacific the team had a morale booster after winning silver at last year's FIBA Polynesian Basketball Cup.
Made up of players from Tonga's diaspora, Cahn said they are aiming for a medal in November.
"So we have some players based here in New Zealand, some coming from the United States, we have one in Fiji.
Pacific Games - Australia
Olympic kayak champion Ken Wallace will lead Australia's campaign as Chef de Mission at the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands later this year.
It is the second time Wallace has led the Australian team following the 2019 Games in Samoa.
Wallace will also was be deputy Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic team in Paris for next year's Olympic Games.
