Pacific Island contingents to the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, are finalising their preparations ahead of the event.
The Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tonga have confirmed teams for the meet, which will be held from 31 October to 13 November.
Athletics and swimming are the two major sports most island teams will compete in. Other sports they will representation in include beach handball, 3×3 basketball and boxing.
Fiji has named 29 athletes, while the Cook Islands confirmed 13 will make up three different sports teams for the event.
Two teams in particular will be creating history at the event, becoming the first from their respective countries to be competing at a Summer Youth Olympic Games.
They are Fiji’s Under-19 Girls basketball team and the Cook Islands beach handball team.
Fiji
Head coach Earl Hughes told the Fiji Sun in Suva on Wednesday that the team’s preparation was on track.
“Three of the four girls available in Fiji have been training five times a week since mid-August,” he said.
“We will have the full squad of four girls together from October 5 until departure.”
The team will compete against 11 other nations, with 12 teams in each gender category.
Hughes said the opportunity to play at a top-level international competition would benefit the players and also help the sport back home.
“This is the first Under-18 girls’ youth team to the Olympic Games, and we are very fortunate to have a spot,” he said.
“This will assist in developing these girls and expose them to top-level world age-group competition in the 3×3 format. This opportunity only comes around once in a lifetime, and the team is very grateful for the opportunity to participate.”
Hughes said they want to reach the elimination rounds and challenge for a medal, adding they are heading to the Games ready to compete and push the more developed teams.
The travelling team is made up of Nyssa Daunivalu, Anasofaia Maiwiriwiri, Makaefa Savu and Zara Suka, with two non-travelling reserves in Rusila Komainaiqoro and Atelaite Magnus.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old swimmer Grace Khelan won gold in the 100-metre freestyle at the New Zealand Short Course Age Championships in Christchurch.
The Fiji Times reported that the performance saw Khelan break the one-minute mark as she continues building towards the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
Her final time was 57.92 second, finishing ahead of the pack at the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre in Christchurch.
Cook Islands
Team Cook Islands chef de mission Michelle Paiti confirmed to Cook Islands News that beach handball, swimming and triathlon would represent the country at the multi-sport event held every four years.
Paiti said 13 athletes are going to Senegal.
“There’s a lot of work going in,” she said.
“It’s great to see we’ve managed to pop in on a number of occasions to the codes just to check in and see how their preparations are going and they are very organised as they prepare to go to the Olympics so it’s great to see.
“I’m very excited because this is a small team that we’re taking away.”
She said Team Cook Islands would travel in two separate groups, with the swimmers and triathletes competing in the first week, while the beach handball team will compete during the second week.
Papua New Guinea
Team chef de mission Dame Iammo Gapi Launa told The National that PNG will have four athletes, two in athletics and two in swimming.
She said the athletes competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Under-20 Athletics Championships in the USA.
PNG will be competing at their fourth summer youth games, having also competed at Singapore 2010, Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires in 2018.
Solomon Islands
The country will be represented by the Solomon Islands Men’s Under-17 futsal team, known as the Junior Kurukuru.
Solomon Islands Football said the team has been training well in Honiara with 14 players.
A final travelling roster of 10 players will be confirmed ahead of the team’s departure for the Games.
The team, coached by veteran Dickson Kadau, are in Group B alongside Paraguay, Morocco, and Portugal.
Tonga
Tonga has a four-member team for the Games.
Angelina Tupou will compete in the women’s 100-metre hurdles, while Halafihi Fisi’ihoi is named to compete in shot put.
Swimmers Alexander Viliami and Luseane Limoni will compete in the pool.
