PISSA Games competition starts today

Competition in the 21st Penama Inter-Secondary School Association (PISSA) games is starting today at Gambule Junior Secondary School on Maewo.

About a thousand students – participants in this year’s Penama Inter-Secondary School Association (PISSA) Games had been converging at Gambule Junior Secondary School on Maewo during last week before the opening of the annual event yesterday, Sunday.

Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the event at Gambule, Ezekiel Boelum, says students from about 15 secondary schools on Pentecost, Ambae and Maewo are competing in athletics and ball games over the next five days starting today.

Boelum says a taro festival is also coinciding with the PISSA Games and it will showcase Maewo’s different varieties of taros. And that a new nakamal had been constructed especially for the taro festival.

He says before the opening ceremony of the Games yesterday, on Saturday students from Gambule and their parents brought in a taro each for displayed in the new nakamal and then the taro will help with catering for the Games participants.

Yesterday afternoon the Games opened with a march-in by the participants in their school groups and colors followed by speeches.

Schools participating include St. Patrick’s College – Vureas and Ambaebulu on Ambae, Ranwai High School and Lini Memorial College on Pentecost, and Gambule and Sulua Schools on Maewo.

This is Gambule’s second time in two years after the school successfully hosted the 2013 PISSA Games.