BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
THE Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport has organized various sports for 9–16-year-old children to celebrate the first-ever International Day of Play, focusing on the theme of ‘Sport Unites Us All’.
The significant milestone event was observed on Tuesday, June 11, at the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS) High Performance Complex in east Honiara, which aims to preserve, promote, and prioritize playing so that all children can reap the rewards and thrive to their full potential.
The International Day of Play is a newly established annual event recognized by the United Nations. It will be observed on June 11 each year, beginning in 2024. The day aims to promote the importance of play in education, development, and the well-being of children worldwide.
In an interview with RAW SPORTS, Graham Mani, Coach Development Officer at SINIS, revealed that this is the first time hosting such a significant sporting event, which invited children from communities, primary schools, and the Solomon Islands Table Tennis Federation (SITTF).
Mani said the one-day event started at 12 p.m. and concluded at 4 p.m., where children were introduced to four sports: floor ball, table tennis, beach volleyball, and hockey.
He added that SINIS organized the event because it was related to its high-performance program.
“It basically starts at the grassroots and then goes up a level. And at the same time, it is also to organize the International Day of Play. This year’s theme—Play Unites Us All—just simply means that sport brings us together to meet new friends and also helps sport grow.
“Since this is the first time for us to organize this event, the next event will happen on the same date next year, and we will look and try to introduce other different sports to be organized to grow from there,’’ he said.
The Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport – SINIS is the National Government-funded sporting institute of Solomon Islands. It offers high-performance sports programs, services, and training facilities to athletes and coaches across 30 National Federations in the country.
