Vanuatu Paralympic Committee

The decision is based on considerations of the physical and mental well-being of Vanuatu’s parathletes and accompanying officials combined with the rapid spread of COVID-19 Delta virus and the potential onerous financial liability of being caught in additional unplanned quarantine of a return route.

When Mathias Nakat was selected to represent Vanuatu at the Arafura Games last year, the moment signified more than the beginning of his representative sporting career.

The moment signified the beginning of his transformation from a boy to a man and a cultural rite of passage for Ni-Vanuatu men.

Born with cerebral palsy, Nakat left school in grade four. The relentless bullying, the nasty jokes and the constant name calling made him so ashamed of his impairment he would refuse to see anyone outside of his family, even when visitors would stop by.

Since 2017, the VPC has been developing squads of parathletes in the provinces and now have parathletes training several times a week in Isangel, Tanna, Luganville Santo, a new group in Lakatoro as well as two groups in Vila, one at Ecole Centrale and another under the auspices of Wan Smol Bag at Tagabe, Port Vila.

The focus to date has been on athletics; running, javelin and shotput but this MOU signing will see expansion of activities to include table tennis.

The event will be held on Saturday, 28 September, 2019.

The Australian High Commission is delighted to be able to support Kurt’s visit to Vanuatu to share his story and inspire others, especially young Ni-Vanuatu athletes living with an impairment. Who better to embody the Paralympic concepts and the aspirations of Vanuatu’s emerging parathletes than Kurt Fearnley whose own personal story life encompasses all of these hopes,” said the Australian High Commissioner, Jenny Da Rin.