Tau John Tokwepota still holds Papua New Guinea's marathon and 10,000m records ©Facebook/PNGOC

Long-distance runner Tau John Tokwepota, football player Joseph Turia and netball great Veitu Diro have been inducted into the PNG Sports Hall of Fame.

Tokwepota and Diro attended a ceremony in their honour, where the trio's exploits representing Papua New Guinea were remembered.

Turia died last year but family members were present in Port Moresby. 

Diro is considered one of Papua New Guinea's finest netball players and has both captained and coached the national side.

She also won the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Trophy for Oceania in 2007 and has been made a life member of both the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) and Netball PNG.

Tokwepota, known as "King of the Roads", still holds national records in the 10,000 metres and marathon.

Now 66, he ran at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics, plus the 1982 Commonwealth Games.

Turia died last year aged 60.

Netball great Veitu Diro is one of three new members of the PNG Sports Hall of Fame ©Facebook/PNGOC
Netball great Veitu Diro is one of three new members of the PNG Sports Hall of Fame ©Facebook/PNGOC

The defender is the first football player to be inducted to the PNG Sports Hall of Fame and represented the country at three editions of what were then the South Pacific Games.

Turia was among the men's national team's leading players in the 1980s and was later a national youth coach.

The trio are the first inductees since 2020, with a 2021 ceremony not held because of the COVID-19 crisis. 

The Hall of Fame now has 23 inductees.

All 40 affiliated National Federations can submit candidates for induction to the PNGOC.