Sporting events help spotlight Pacific connections and regional challenges

The President of Palau is calling this year’s Pacific Mini Games a showcase of Pacific unity, culture and resilience, not just athletic talent.

Responding to questions from PMN’s Sports Correspondent James Nokise, President Surangel Whipps Jr hopes the games will not only showcase Palau’s sporting spirit to the world, but also its heart.

“I think Palau is well known for many things, but I hope that the games will show our warmth and our hospitality and really what brings us together as Pacific people.

“In the Pacific, you never go hungry. We always make sure you’re well fed because that’s how we show our love.”

And according to Nokise, there’s definitely love and warmth in the air in Palau’s capital city, Koror, as well as the smell of fresh paint and anticipation.

“You can see fresh coats of paint everywhere, in the blue and yellow colours of Palau, there's been a lot of money invested in really upgrading the sports tracks. Some of that money has come in from funding overseas, from places like Taiwan.

President Surangel Whipps Jnr joined athletes, leaders, and the community to celebrate the opening of 11 newly upgraded venues for the Pacific Mini Games earlier this month. Photo/Office of the President, Republic of Palau

“Rather than building new stadiums, which is what happened in the Marshall Islands last year with the Micronesian Games, they've just upgraded the local sports arenas.

“The anticipation is everywhere, not just from Palauans, but from athletes and officials from across the region,” Nokise says,

The 2025 Pacific Mini Games officially kicks off on Sunday, bringing together more than 1500 athletes from 23 Pacific nations in a vibrant two-week celebration of sport and regional solidarity.

With Palau’s population normally around 12,000, the arrival of over 2,000 athletes, officials and supporters will boost numbers by almost 20 per cent.

The Pacific Mini Games are the first major multi-sport event for many Pacific athletes since the 2024 Paris Olympics, and for many, their only chance to compete internationally in 2025.

Over 12 sports are being contested, including athletics, boxing, table tennis, and the fiercely competitive team events like softball and volleyball.

As the host nation, Palau will field the largest squad, and Nokise expects to see many Palauan youth who are being given early exposure to regional competition.

The Pacific Mini Games in Palau opens on Sunday. Photo/Pacific Mini Games 2025

Baklai Temegil, the Secretary General for the Palau National Olympic Committee and also the President for the Oceania National Olympic Committee, confirms that it’s an opportunity to fast-track the development of young athletes.

“We're very excited because a lot of youth are in these games, but this is really just providing them an opportunity to accelerate where we can potentially see them in 2027 and then the 2028 Olympic Games,” she says.

“I think for Palau sports to be hosting the Mini Games is really seeing some of the big investment in terms of sports infrastructure.”

She says hosting the Games has pushed local sports federations to lift their game, as meeting international competition standards has required major upgrades in equipment and facilities.

Listen to James Nokise's update from Palau below.

President Whipps says the Mini Games are an important moment in Palau’s sporting journey, recalling how the nation first entered the Olympic sporting stage in 2000.

“The Sydney Games were the first games that Palau was allowed to participate in; there was so much pride in Palau to be able to have our flag raised and walk into the Olympic Stadium in Sydney,” he says.

Whipps says that taking part in and hosting games is not only an opportunity for the world to learn about Palau, but also a chance to promote the issues that Pacific island nations face.

He says that with the next two summer Olympic on either side of the Pacific ocean (Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032) and Australia's bid to host the environment summit COP31, it all helps “to bring the focus to the Pacific... not only for tourism, but also on issues that we face as islands.”

But for now, its focus is on building unity at the Pacific Mini Games.

“I think that's what happens with these games, is we build connections and that's what strengthens us … we're stronger together.”