The award was presented to Prime Minister Peter O'Neill by the National Gaming Control Board through the Papua New Guinea Benefit Fund.

The money will also help fund the Classification Course Stage 1 during the Papua New Guinea Games in Kokopo later this year.

The next stage of the course takes place during the Darwin Arafura Games in 2013.

The support will enable the PNGPC to meet its four-year strategic plan, set up during a workshop that took place in Goroka at the National Sports Institute.

This plan focused on development for athletes, coaches and classifiers as well as preparations for the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

"We are indebted to the Prime Minister, whilst at the same time humbled by this gesture," said PNGPC Chef de Mission for London 2012, Dr Kelu Ma.

"We can confidently say that this assistance will help move PNGPC to the next level."

Papua New Guinea won its first ever medal at the Olympic or Paralympic Games in Beijing four years' ago, when Francis Kompaon claimed silver in the T46 100 metres race.

He is one of only two athletes from the country to have qualified for London 2012 so far, along with Timothy Harabe, a powerlifter.

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