Cook Islands Games touch rugby and table tennis

Here are videos of the first couple of sports at the Cook Islands Games.
Seventeen codes were included in the programme which was supposed to include teams from the outer islands. Unfortunately it looks as though none of them could afford to travel to Rarotonga. Rumour has it that they were hoping for assistance from CISNOC but didn’t find out until a week or so ago that none would be forthcoming.
So most ‘outer island’ teams are made up of Raro-based players and in some cases there are precious few of them to go around. For those codes the programme of events doesn’t bear much resemblance to what is happening on the ground.
Tennis, for example, was slated for action on one morning and five afternoons. However, due to lack of competitors, it took only one morning to complete. Sadly I didn’t manage to film any of this – it was taking place at the same time and venue as the touch rugby competition but I thought the two people I could see in the distance were knocking up, waiting for the contest to start whereas in fact it was finishing. Pity about that!
Results are also a bit hard to come by. There is a CISNOC section on the Sporting Pulse website and it even has a results page but so far nothing much is on it apart from a brief comment that ‘Takitumu showed their strengths in both men’s and women’s categories’.
Things could have been updated by now – follow this link to find out.
But as a trial for the Pacific Mini Games it shows there’s a lot to be done.
Some codes seem to be well-organised. In particular the lawn bowlers are having a ball and netballers are out in full force, players and supporters, for their afternoon competition days.
This video is of touch rugby and table tennis.
More later.