December 8, 2023
Editor
Tia Belau News Koror, Palau
Dear Editor:
I write to express my deep disappointment with Tia Belau’s negative December 4th article on Team Palau’s participation in Pacific Games 2023.
While winning medals is one goal of athletic competition, it should not be the only or even the ultimate benchmark for success. Many of our athletes are already leaders in their communities and fields of work while others are rising leaders. Athletic competition instills critical values, life skills, discipline critical to successful leadership and good health and wellbeing. Investment in sports programs should be viewed as an investment in our future with medal count only a part of the equation.
Unlike the days past that you speak of, when Palau only competed with neighbor islands that were, in many cases, less developed than us, our athletes now frequently face the challenge of going up against counterparts from nations who have had the advantages of access to resources, training, and competition levels and frequency that are just not readily available here. The athletic skills enhancement and life lessons that our athletes learn from confronting stiff competition may be hard-won but are more valuable having been gained through adversity.
I can assure you that Palau’s sports leadership will be closely reviewing our experience at the Pacific Games to determine what changes that we may need to implement, at all levels, to improve our athletes’ performance levels and success rates moving forward. I will remind you, though, that the competitive success of Palau athletes can only result from the collective effort and support of our small and cohesive community. This includes athlete’s families, neighborhoods, and leadership, both traditional and governmental. It also includes you, both as a media personality and as a citizen. It does not just involve money, but also a disciplined and focused mind-set in both our athletes and the community itself. I invite you and everyone who shares our objective of seeing Palauan athletes achieve success at higher levels to help us achieve this.
We value the constructive feedback from the media and the public, as it encourages us and our Athletes to continue to strive for excellence and improvement. We are confident that with our collective support, Team Palau will emerge stronger in future competitions. We believe in our Athletes aspiration.
/s/Frank Kyota