Wantok Cup
Encyclopedia
The Wantok Cup was a short-lived international football competition between the national teams of three Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...

n countries: Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 and Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

. The Cup was to be a thrice-a-year competition, to be held in July (twice) and September (once), as part of independence commemoration celebrations in the Solomons, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, respectively. The inaugural edition of the Cup was held during independence celebrations in the Solomon Islands, from July 3 to July 7, 2008, and was won by the hosts.

Eddie Ngava, General Secretary of the Solomon Islands Football Federation, had stated: "We hope this will be the inaugural start of the Wantok Cup when each of the three countries will be having a competition on each of their countries' independence days."

The Cup has been described by the Oceania Football Confederation
Oceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...

 as "a tournament reminiscent of the now defunct Melanesian Cup
Melanesia Cup
The Melanesia Cup is a football championship played between the Melanesian countries, it was used for qualification to the Oceania Nations Cup. The last edition of the cup was in 2001...

". Ngava, however, has stated that "these two competitions are not linked in any way".

Wantok is a Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...

 and Pijin word which comes from the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 "one talk", and means people who speak the same language, belong to the same culture, are friends and help one another out. The name was chosen so as to emphasise the similarities of the pidgin languages spoken in the three countries - namely Tok Pisin, Pijin and Bislama.

Difficulties

From the start, the competition was plagued by financial difficulties. Papua New Guinea's team withdrew from the inaugural edition at the last moment, citing financial constraints, and Vanuatu announced that it would be unable to host the second edition of the Cup, for the same reason. Nonetheless, the Wantok Cup was expected to continue, Vanuatu having pledged to host it in July 2009.

The 2009 games did not take place. The second edition of the Wantok Cup was then due to be hosted by Vanuatu to coincide with its Independence Day celebrations in July 2010. In March 2010, the Vanuatu Daily Post
Vanuatu Daily Post
The Vanuatu Daily Post is a newspaper published in Port Vila in Vanuatu. It is the only daily newspaper in Vanuatu.-External links:**...

commented that the Solomon Islands Football Federation
Solomon Islands Football Federation
The Solomon Islands Football Federation is a member of the Oceania Football Confederation.The Solomon Islands national football team made history when they made it to the final Oceania stages of the World Cup Qualification against Australia...

 was preparing seriously for the Cup, while the Vanuatu Football Federation
Vanuatu Football Federation
The Vanuatu Football Federation is the governing body of football in Vanuatu.-External links:* at the FIFA website.* at OFC site* site...

 was yet to do so. On July 9, the Solomon Star
Solomon Star
The Solomon Star is a Solomon Islands daily, English language newspaper, launched on May 25, 1982. It is produced by the Solomon Star Company, whose publisher and director, , is John Lamani. Lamani was also one of the paper's co-founders. The newspaper's editor, , is Ofani Eremae....

reported that Papua New Guinea would not be attending, as it was "occupied by other football programs", and that even scheduled host Vanuatu had yet to confirm it would be taking part. The article concluded: "If Vanuatu agrees to host the tournament then it is likely that the Wantok Cup will only feature Solomon Islands and Vanuatu." There is no record of the July 2010 edition of the Cup having taken place - presumably due to a withdrawal by the hosts.

In 2011, Vanuatu hosted Solomon Islands for a match on the former's Independence Day, which had been the aim of the Wantok Cup, although the media did not use the Cup's name. Vanuatu won 2-0.

No further editions of the Cup have been reported as scheduled; the Cup appears to be defunct after just one successful event.

Thus, Papua New Guinea never actually competed in a Wantok Cup event. New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...

 never participated in the adult Wantok Cup either, but sent a national team to the inaugural (and so far only) edition of the Junior Wantok Cup
Junior Wantok Cup
The Junior Wantok Cup is the children's edition of the Wantok Cup. Its inaugural edition was due to be hosted in Honiara on September 21, 2008. The competition was to include a single match, involving football teams consisting in players aged under 14: one from the Solomon Islands and one from...

 in January 2010. (See below)

Wins

1 2008
July 2008 first Wantok Cup
The inaugural edition of the Wantok Cup was held during Independence Day celebrations in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 3 to 7 July 2008.The hosts were represented by two teams, while Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu were initially scheduled to enter one team each...

0
0

Summaries

The second edition of the Cup, due to be hosted in Vanuatu in July 2008, was cancelled due to the host's financial difficulties. There is no record of the July 2010 edition having taken place.
Year Host Winner Runner-up 3rd Place 4th Place
2008 (1st)
Details
July 2008 first Wantok Cup
The inaugural edition of the Wantok Cup was held during Independence Day celebrations in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 3 to 7 July 2008.The hosts were represented by two teams, while Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu were initially scheduled to enter one team each...

Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

U23 (withdrew)
2008 (2nd)
Details
Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

event cancelled
2008 (3rd)
Details
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

event cancelled
2010
Details
Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

event cancelled

July 2008 (first)

The inaugural edition of the Wantok Cup was held during Independence Day celebrations in Honiara
Honiara
Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...

, Solomon Islands, from July 3 to July 7, 2008. The host nation fielded two teams, and Vanuatu one. The Solomons' team of under-23 year-olds won the Cup. Though it was intended to be the first in a series of regular events, all subsequent editions of the adult Wantok Cup were cancelled.

July 2008 (second)

The second edition of the Wantok Cup was scheduled to be held during Independence Day celebrations in Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

, in late July 2008. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

 having withdrawn from the first edition of the Cup
July 2008 first Wantok Cup
The inaugural edition of the Wantok Cup was held during Independence Day celebrations in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 3 to 7 July 2008.The hosts were represented by two teams, while Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu were initially scheduled to enter one team each...

 earlier in July, due to financial reasons, the country's participation in the second edition remained uncertain. The Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 was to be represented by two teams.

On July 18, it was announced that Vanuatu would be unable to host the Cup that month, due to financial difficulties. The second edition of the Wantok Cup was consequently cancelled. The Vanuatu Football Federation stated that the country would host the Cup in July 2009. In the end, no games were held in 2009.

September 2008

The third edition of the Wantok Cup was scheduled to be held during Independence Day celebrations in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, in September 2008. The Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 initially confirmed their participation, and were due to play against the hosts on September 20 , but then pulled out, citing financial constraints. The September 2008 edition of the Wantok Cup was then expected to be an encounter between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

This edition of the Cup never took place. The second edition of the Cup was rescheduled for July 2010, to be hosted by Vanuatu.

July 2010

The second edition of the Wantok Cup was due to be held in Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

, and to begin on July 31, 2010. Had the Cup being held according to schedule, this would have been the seventh or eighth edition, as the Wantok Cup was supposed to be held thrice yearly. Following the inaugural edition in July 2008
July 2008 first Wantok Cup
The inaugural edition of the Wantok Cup was held during Independence Day celebrations in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 3 to 7 July 2008.The hosts were represented by two teams, while Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu were initially scheduled to enter one team each...

 in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

, scheduled editions for 2008 were cancelled, and no games were held in 2009.

The Solomon Islands national football team
Solomon Islands national football team
The Solomon Islands national football team is the national team of the Solomon Islands and is controlled by Solomon Islands Football Federation. The team shocked the football world in the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup , tying Australia 2–2 to nip heavily-favored New Zealand for second place and a spot...

 confirmed its participation. As of early July, it was the only country to have done so. The Oceania Football Confederation
Oceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...

 in February spoke of the Solomon Islands team facing Vanuatu in the Wantok Cup in July, thus suggesting that Papua New Guinea would be absent, or that its participation was unconfirmed. In March, the Vanuatu Daily Post
Vanuatu Daily Post
The Vanuatu Daily Post is a newspaper published in Port Vila in Vanuatu. It is the only daily newspaper in Vanuatu.-External links:**...

commented that the Solomon Islands Football Federation
Solomon Islands Football Federation
The Solomon Islands Football Federation is a member of the Oceania Football Confederation.The Solomon Islands national football team made history when they made it to the final Oceania stages of the World Cup Qualification against Australia...

 was preparing seriously for the Cup, while the Vanuatu Football Federation
Vanuatu Football Federation
The Vanuatu Football Federation is the governing body of football in Vanuatu.-External links:* at the FIFA website.* at OFC site* site...

 was yet to do so. On July 9, the Solomon Star
Solomon Star
The Solomon Star is a Solomon Islands daily, English language newspaper, launched on May 25, 1982. It is produced by the Solomon Star Company, whose publisher and director, , is John Lamani. Lamani was also one of the paper's co-founders. The newspaper's editor, , is Ofani Eremae....

reported that Papua New Guinea would not be attending, as it was "occupied by other football programs", and that even scheduled host Vanuatu had yet to confirm it would be taking part. The article concluded: "If Vanuatu agrees to host the tournament then it is likely that the Wantok Cup will only feature Solomon Islands and Vanuatu."

There is no record of the July 2010 edition of the Cup having taken place - presumably due to a withdrawal by the hosts. No further editions of the Cup have been reported as scheduled.

Junior edition

There has also been a Junior Wantok Cup
Junior Wantok Cup
The Junior Wantok Cup is the children's edition of the Wantok Cup. Its inaugural edition was due to be hosted in Honiara on September 21, 2008. The competition was to include a single match, involving football teams consisting in players aged under 14: one from the Solomon Islands and one from...

, for under-15s. Originally scheduled to be launched in 2008, it was -like the adult version- delayed. The official inaugural edition was hosted by Vanuatu in January 2010, with five teams competing (three from the host country, one from the Solomon Islands and one from New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...

). The Solomon Islands defeated Vanuatu South 4-1 to take the title, replicating the achievement of their adult counterparts.
Wins
1 January 2010
0
0

See also

  • Papua New Guinea national football team
    Papua New Guinea national football team
    The Papua New Guinea national football team is the national team of Papua New Guinea and is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association....

  • Solomon Islands national football team
    Solomon Islands national football team
    The Solomon Islands national football team is the national team of the Solomon Islands and is controlled by Solomon Islands Football Federation. The team shocked the football world in the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup , tying Australia 2–2 to nip heavily-favored New Zealand for second place and a spot...

  • Vanuatu national football team
    Vanuatu national football team
    The Vanuatu national football team is the national team of Vanuatu and is controlled by the Vanuatu Football Federation.-History:It was known as the New Hebrides national football team until the New Hebrides became Republic of Vanuatu in 1980. It finished fourth in the OFC Nations Cup in 1973,...

  • Junior Wantok Cup
    Junior Wantok Cup
    The Junior Wantok Cup is the children's edition of the Wantok Cup. Its inaugural edition was due to be hosted in Honiara on September 21, 2008. The competition was to include a single match, involving football teams consisting in players aged under 14: one from the Solomon Islands and one from...

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