Hienghiene Sport takes out New Caledonia football league, Tongan thrower beats Australian and Kiwi rivals, and new Pacific basketball cup
New Caledonia side seals title and place in Champions League
New Caledonian football club Hienghiene Sport has qualified for the Oceania Champions League being held in New Zealand in August.
The team sealed the New Caledonia Super League after beating SC Ne Drehu 2-1 in the play-off final.
Hienghène Sport’s Bertrand Kai rues a missed opportunity. Photo: OFC via Phototek
Veteran New Caledonia national team forward Bertrand Kai scored both his side's goals at Stade Numa Daly in Nouméa.
Hienghiene won the OFC Champions League in 2019, becoming the first New Caledonian team to do so.
Meanwhile, the qualifying stage of the Oceania Champions League has been cancelled due to ongoing travel restrictions and logistical challenges.
The tournament would have seen the club champions of American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga play each other for one place in the finals stage.
Instead, Nikao Sokattak FC from the Cook Islands has been nominated to contest the finals tournament based on the rankings.
Auckland City FC are also confirmed for the competition.
Tongan putter takes gold
Tongan thrower 'Ata Maama Tu'utafaiva finished first in the women's senior shot putt at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay, Queensland.
Tu'utafaiva recorded a best putt of 16.29 metres, a metre further than Australia's Lyvante Su'emai.
The 25-year-old also won gold at the 2019 Oceania Championships and competed in the 2018 Commonweath Games.
First-ever Micronesian Cup in basketball
Basketball players are set to compete in the first-ever Micronesian Cup being held in Guam.
The competition, which is due to start tomorrow and conclude Saturday, will feature four men's and four women's teams - representing Guam, Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands and Palau.
There will be an initial round-robin tournament with the top two teams contesting the final.
It is the first time that Micronesian basketball will have its own stand-alone event, after being part of the Micronesian Games.
The winners of the Cup will qualify for the 2023 Pacific Games, due to take place in the Solomon Islands.