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SPORTS SHORTS

Training continues for the American Samoa athletes who will be competing in the upcoming 2015 Pacific Games that will be taking place this summer in Papua New Guinea from July 4-18.

 

Every Wednesday, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Stadium, some of the athletes will be doing group training that will involve cardio workouts such as running on the track and up into the stadium. This is the time when the public can come out and meet these athletes. Today will be their next group training session starting at 5:00 p.m.

 

One of the biggest events of the year in American Samoa is Flag Day and there are some sports national federations that will be taking advantage of this day to compete, which should help them even more in getting ready for the Pacific Games. Some of the sports that will be taking advantage of this time to compete are:

 

VOLLEYBALL

 

The American Samoa Volleyball Association (ASVBA) will be having its International Flag Day Championships with teams from Samoa, the United States and American Samoa competing. For more information on the ASVBA you can call 252-7064.

 

BOXING

 

Boxing, that trains all year round under the American Samoa Boxing Federation, will be having Flag Day Boxing bouts against fighters from Apia, Samoa. One of the American Samoa amateur standout boxers that will be competing in these Flag Day bouts and the Pacific Games as well, is George Tanoa Jr, who is expected to medal for American Samoa.

 

BASKETBALL

 

The American Samoa Basketball Association, which conducts clinics throughout the year, will also be having a Flag Day tournament. This past December, they competed in the FIBA Under-19 Oceania Basketball Championships, where the young players gained much needed experience.

 

RUGBY

 

Perhaps one of the biggest and most exciting Flag Day sporting event is the 7’s Rugby tournament that draws in the best 7’s players on island and from off island as well. American Samoa will be sending a team to the Pacific Games, but so far little is known of its composition — whether it will still be called, “Talavalu” — and who the coaches and players will be.

 

Samoa News will continue its updates of the 2015 Pacific Games, which will include player interviews, photos of training sessions, and fundraisers for the sports federations.