PORT MORESBY, July 1 – Two prizes are up for grabs in the soccer tournament at the Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games, the coveted Pacific Games gold medal for men and women and on the men’s side, a trip to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The men’s two-time defending champions from New Caledonia will be hoping to make it three-in-a-row in Port Moresby while also challenging New Zealand, which is only at Port Moresby 2015 because it is an Olympic qualifier, for a spot at Rio 2016. All eight men’s teams entered will take part in the pool matches which will determine the teams which will advance to the Olympic qualifying final and the Pacific Games final. The players involved in the Olympic qualifying matches must adhere to the Olympic criteria of being under 23-years-old. Tahiti in pool A and New Caledonia in pool B will not take part in the Olympic aspect of the competition as their players can qualify to represent France. The winner of the Olympic qualifier will advance to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Pacific Games semifinals will continue after the Olympic qualifying final with New Zealand dropping out at this stage and Tahiti and New Caledonia returning to the fold. If New Caledonia wins at Port Moresby 2015, it will be its third straight title and seventh overall since the Games started in 1963. On the women’s side, Papua New Guinea has won every title since the women’s competition became part of the Games schedule in 2003. PNG will be hoping to make it four in a row on home soil. In both events, teams will receive three points for a win in the pool matches, one for a draw and none for a defeat. From the semifinals onwards, extra-time and penalty shoot-outs will be played to determine the winner. There will be 32 soccer matches at Port Moresby 2015, which will be held over 12 days. The pool matches will be held at the Bisini Grounds starting on Friday July 3, while the finals will take place at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium on Thursday, July 16, for the women and Friday, July 17 for the men. For information about soccer tickets call the Pacific Games ticket hotline on 180 2015 or download the ticket purchasing guide
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