KOROR, Palau (June 5, 2025) — Palau has finalized its full roster of 225 athletes for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, the maximum number allowed, according to Palau National Olympic Committee Secretary General Baklai Temengil-Chilton.
The announcement was made Wednesday during a meeting with Team Palau at the Palau National Gym.
Palau will field the largest team among the 22 participating Pacific nations. The Solomon Islands will send the second-largest contingent with 201 athletes, followed by Fiji with 187. In total, approximately 2,200 athletes and officials are expected to take part in the Games, which will be held in Palau from June 29 to July 9, 2025.
Nearly half of Palau’s athletes are under the age of 19, Temengil-Chilton said. During the meeting, athletes received a safeguarding briefing emphasizing the importance of safety and well-being throughout the Games. Two safeguarding specialists, funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), spoke to the team about identifying different forms of harm and how to report incidents to designated safeguarding officers.
In addition to safeguarding support, DFAT will fund four specialists to assist during the event, including a high-performance trainer, a strength and conditioning coach, and a sports nutritionist.
Team Palau swimmers have already departed for Australia for pre-Games conditioning and are expected to return one week before the competition begins.
Meanwhile, Palau’s baseball team recently returned from two months of training in Taiwan and will continue preparing for the Games with a series of friendly matches against a visiting Taiwanese team this weekend. (By: L.N. Reklai)