Team Marianas Leads Opening Ceremony at Palau Mini Games

Koror, Palau — In the midst of Palau’s rainy season, the 2025 Palau Pacific Mini Games officially opened last night with an unforgettable ceremony that embraced island spirit and Pacific unity—downpours and all.

Held at the Palau National Stadium, the celebration had a bit of everything: cultural pride, colorful attire, spontaneous dashes through puddles, live performances, and a fireworks finale that lit up the cloudy night sky and ended the wet evening with a bang.

More than 2,000 athletes and officials from 23 nations took part in the Parade of Nations—including the Northern Mariana Islands, host Palau, Guam, Fiji, Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Wallis and Futuna, Tokelau, Nauru, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, American Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, and the Cook Islands.

Cheered on by local spectators and supporters—and thousands more watching via livestream around the world, the teams marched in one by one and by the time they filled the blue track together, the message behind this year’s theme—“Empowering Unity”—was clear and powerful.

Leading the way was Team Marianas, hosts of the 2022 Pacific Mini Games. With 130 athletes strong, (with the rest of the 161 delegation flying in this week), they proudly kicked off the parade, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. The parade was capped off by the host nation Palau and once every nation had its spotlight moment, the Pacific Games flag was raised, the Games torch was lit, and just like that, the competition was officially on.

Opening speeches came from Dr. Patrick Tellei, Chairman of the 2025 Organizing Committee, Vidya Lakhan, President of the Pacific Games Council, and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., who officially declared the Games open and welcomed everyone to the islands.

The messages were all about unity, respect, and celebrating the shared culture of the Pacific.

After the formalities, Palauan performers lit up the stage with traditional music and dance, followed by a firework show that closed out the rainy but electric night.

The action kicks off today, Monday, June 30, with Team Marianas diving straight into competition in indoor volleyball, va’a, softball, baseball, swimming, and wrestling.

Before the opening ceremony, swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko returned as flag bearer for the second time. The 2023 Pacific Games gold medalist and current Keiser University Athlete of the Year said of being in Palau, “It’s great. I’m pretty excited to be here and compete. Palau is actually really nice so I’m happy to be here.” Leading the team in the opening ceremony, he added, “I feel very honored, very excited, and pretty nervous because of the amount of people that are going to be there, but I’m very proud to represent CNMI.”

Baseball outfielder Ben Jones Jr., a key player on the CNMI’s defending gold medalist team, said, “The team is pretty excited. Of course we’re a little nervous because we’re trying to defend our gold, but we’re happy to be here. We’re blessed to be here and we’re going to give it our best. Right now, the boys are just enjoying their time before the games start.”

Women’s indoor volleyball player Azriel Fatialofa shared her excitement and said, “I’m excited, ecstatic—excited to play and to represent my island. Biba NMI!”

And va’a V1 and V6 paddler Carter Calma, for his part, said that being in Palau “is going really well. We like the course and we just hope the weather holds up but it’s nothing new—same ocean, same vibe—we just have to stick to the same game plan.”

With the Games now officially underway, athletes across the Pacific are ready to give their all—rain or shine. For the next ten days, all eyes will continue to be on Palau as it hosts the Pacific Mini Games for the second time since 2005 and will be the stage for competition, camaraderie, and celebration of island unity.

Stay tuned for ongoing coverage from Palau as the 2025 Pacific Mini Games unfold.