Temengil said despite all the rains, people come and help out. With the Micro Games concept of Green Games, maximizing the resources that they have in terms of human resource, facility, the funds, any help from the community is welcomed by the committee.
“The Micro Games have been really great. The results, the performances of the athletes, the spectators were great,” Temengil said. “Everyone in the community has been very cooperative.”
According to Temengil, the biggest challenge for the organizing committee has been the unpredictable weather, but other than that, the games were a success. There were no reported major injuries. The security has been reliable.
“So far, we’ve been able to get in-kind contributions. And we manage to cut costs when we can,” Temengil said. Hotels donate old towels to be used as mops. “We have a lot of volunteers, including young kids.”
“These are people that can really do miracles,” Temengil explained. “Like in the Asahi Field, for example. With all the rains, it takes a lot of work coming in in the morning, making sure that the field is playable. There are people who actually do that.”
The government and the private sectors also help by allowing their employees go on administrative leave while working for the Micro Games.
Koror State Government and PCC are also catering to the games. “The government is supporting a lot of employees to participate, working for us, providing logistics, helping out with the games,” Temengil added.
In comparison with the 1998 Micro Games, which Palau also hosted, Temengil said the expectation of the community is at its highest for this year’s Micro Games. “So the kids need to perform extra hard, pushing themselves to the limit. Even the facilities and structures that have been put in place can accommodate those expectations and levels of performances.”
Logistics wise, Temengil said that there’s understanding of what needs to be done among the organizers. “It’s more organized. It’s easier to manage because people know what moves to take for such games of this caliber.”
As for the green aspect of the Micro Games, athletes and visitors are encouraged to walk. They also promote recycling, reminding people about keeping the environment clean.
“There’s a lot of trash but people are really out there, cleaning, making sure that they put their trash in proper bins. Trash segregation has been a little bit of a challenge, but it is ongoing. It is part of the education about the environment, to change people’s behavior about trash,” Temengil explained.
The closing ceremony will be held today at the Track and Field. Like the opening ceremony, it will be open to the public. According to Temengil, the athletes will march in together as one team.
“We will extinguish the light of the game, and we will have food and entertainment for the athletes,” Temengil said. “It’s really been good,” Temengil said. “It’s really all about cooperation among people, among the Palauans, among all the people living in Palau.”
