Rugby league officials in the Pacific believe the sport has the potential to be included in future Olympic Games.
PNG Rugby League Chair Sandis Taska in the middle Photo: RNZI/Vinnie Wylie
Six countries will compete in rugby league nines at the Pacific Games in Port Moresby over the weekend.
The shortened format has grown rapidly in recent years, with the NRL Auckland Nines and Cabramatta Nines in Sydney now a key part of pre-season for club and international teams.
The Chairman of the Papua New Guinea Rugby League Federation, Sandis Tsaka, hopes more events like this can find their way onto the calendar.
"Hopefully this will kick-start a platform for the international federation and the NRL, in partnership with our respective [national] federations, to grow the game at the international level, which has been a challenge for the sport. If we can do this more often at these kind of competitions, at the Pacific Games level, we've had a trial at the Commonwealth Games level and hopefully at sometime in the future at the Olympic level so we see the natural progression."
Fiji won gold in rugby league's only other appearance at the Pacific Games back in 2007.
The coaches, captains and referees for the rugby league nines at the Pacific Games in PNG. Photo: RNZI/Vinnie Wylie