By Asi Andrew Fa'[email protected] Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — With the 2025 Pacific Mini Games approaching in Koror, Palau, from June 29 to July 9, Team American Samoa is pressing forward with training and logistics. However, the most pressing obstacle faced by the sports federations that are sending teams isn’t physical; it’s financial.
Getting to Palau isn’t easy for most of the Pacific. With limited commercial routes in the region, many of the participating island nations must navigate multi-leg journeys involving stopovers in places like Hawaii, Guam, and Fiji.
For Team American Samoa, the travel itinerary includes flights from Pago Pago to Honolulu, then onward to Guam and finally to Palau. The total cost exceeds $4,000 per athlete, amounting to over $200,000 for the entire delegation.
“This isn’t just our challenge; many Pacific nations are in the same boat,” said Team American Samoa Chef de Mission Lisi Fauloloa Fa'agata. “But for smaller territories like ours with tight budgets, the cost becomes a major barrier."
According to Chief de Mission Fa'agata, American Samoa will compete in just five of the 12 sports featured at the XII Pacific Mini Games in Palau. These sports include Women's Softball, Women's Indoor Volleyball, Triathlon, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.
Fa'agata revealed that the management of the sports federations sending teams to the Games reached an agreement with top officials of the American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC).
Under this agreement, each federation will be responsible for covering the return airfare for their respective teams to Palau. Meanwhile, ASNOC will provide funding for accommodations, meals, local transportation, player per diems, and uniforms for both the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as competition uniforms.
Despite a shared challenge among island nations, the financial impact hits differently depending on population size, economic resources, and government backing. In American Samoa’s case, the burden is significant and has required intensive fundraising and strategic planning.
With travel expenses totaling $213,000 just to get the team to and from Palau, local sports associations sending athletes are under immense pressure to secure the necessary funds in time.
Two teams facing this financial challenge are the national softball and volleyball squads. Both had negotiated discounted fares with Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines, provided that the remaining balances be paid by Wednesday, May 21.
According to the women's national softball team manager, Onolata Saleapaga, the association has been fundraising since last year.
They’ve already paid $22,000 for the first leg of their journey — return fares on Hawaiian Airlines from Pago Pago to Honolulu. The next leg, from Honolulu to Guam and on to Palau, is with United Airlines and carries a return fare of $42,000. Of that amount, $20,000 has been deposited, leaving a balance of $22,000 due by the May 21 deadline.
Failure to pay the outstanding amount by then would result in the loss of the $20,000 already paid, as it is non-refundable. The women’s national softball team manager said they are racing against time, reaching out to local businesses, government departments, and agencies for sponsorships and support to raise the remaining funds.
The women’s national volleyball team is facing a similar financial challenge. According to team logistics manager Sisifo Ta’atiti, the team needs to raise a total of $38,000 by May 21. She noted that each player paid a $75 deposit to reserve their seats on Hawaiian Airlines.
The return fare for the Pago Pago–Honolulu route is $1,069 per person. The total of $16,035 is required to cover the full amount for that leg of the journey.
Meanwhile, the return fare for the Honolulu- Guam- Palau route on United Airlines is $1,457 per person, amounting to $21,855 for the 15-member delegation, which includes both players and coaching staff. Ta’atiti said that a total of $200 per player had to be deposited and will be included in the resulting amount.
When combined with the $16,035 balance still owed to Hawaiian Airlines, the team must secure approximately $38,000 by the May 21 deadline to finalize all travel arrangements.
Ta’atiti also highlighted that 8 of the 12 players selected for the team are high school students. This is in accordance with the Pacific Mini Games regulations, which require at least seven players on each team to be under 19 years of age. She emphasized that this rule is designed to promote youth development and provide international exposure to the next generation of athletes.
It is hoped that the American Samoa government will support the participation of the national delegation in this auspicious regional sporting event by providing the funds needed to send the territory's sporting ambassadors to Palau.
Chef de Mission Fa'agata pointed out that getting the athletes to the Games isn’t just about sports, it’s about national representation.
This wouldn’t be the first time the government has stepped in. In 2023, the American Samoa Government funded a charter flight from Pago Pago International Airport to Honiara, Solomon Islands, at a cost of $200,000 to ensure the territory’s athletes could attend the Pacific Games.
Whether a similar lifeline will come for the 2025 Mini Games remains to be seen, but time is short, and arrangements need to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Section: SportsTags: 2025 Pacific Mini Games
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