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2025 Mini Games in Palau
The Apia Park Stadium’s track facility will be busy starting today as the athletics competition in the XVI Pacific Games kicks off. (Lydia Tan)
Palau will be hosting the 2025 Pacific Mini Games.
The island’s selection was made during the Pacific Games Council general assembly at the Sheraton Aggie Grey’s in Samoa yesterday. Palau won over American Samoa, whose bid was considered non-compliant to the PGC’s statutes and regulations. American Samoa and Niue, a couple of years ago, had also submitted bids to host the 2025 event and the winner was originally set to be picked last year, but the council deferred the decision due to the same reason (non-compliant), opening the door for Palau to bring the Games back to its soil.
The last time Palau hosted the Pacific Mini Games was in 2005 with New Caledonia winning the overall championship with its 56-29-25 gold-silver-bronze medal tally from 12 sports. Fiji (23-21-16) and Nauru (18 gold medals) rounded out the Top 3.
Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand were named associate members of the council during yesterday’s meeting, while New Caledonia’s Roger Kaddour became a life member of the PGC.
Athletics competition starts
The medal rich athletics competition will kick off today with Beo Ngirchongor and Traven Quitugua the first ones to see action for the CNMI at the Apia Stadium’s track oval.
Quitugua is on Heat 3 of the qualifying races for the 100m run. He will be up against Kiribati’s Tirioro Willie, Nauru’s Jonah Harris, Samoas Jeremy Doson, Tonga’s Fohe Michael Folau, the Federated States of Micronesia’s Scott Fiti, and the Solomon Islands’s Kevin Pio.
Ngirchongor is also entered in the 100m run and is on Heat 1 along with the Solomon Islands’ Paul Ma’Unikani, Tonga’s Ronald Fatofili, Fiji’s Ratu Tabakaucoro, Papua New Guinea’s Michael Penny, the Cook Islands’ Tikove Piira, and Guam’s John Paul Dimalanta.
In the women’s 5,000m run, Tania Tan will race against PNG’s Mary Tenge, Monica Kalua, and Poro Gahekave, Vanuatu’s Margarte Kuras, Sharon Firifua and Dianah Matekali, and Guam’s Noshista Benavente.
Zarinae Sapong and Lia Rangamar are the two other CNMI bets competing in athletics with the former joining the qualifier in the 100m tomorrow and the latter doing the javelin throw on Thursday.
