Victor Oceania Junior Championship 2025 Saipan, Northern Mariana Island

The Cook Islands badminton team has arrived in Saipan with a quiet confidence, ready to take on the region’s best at the Victor Oceania Junior Championships 2025. Representing one of the smaller nations in the tournament, the team brings a mix of experience and determination, having sharpened their skills at the 2024 BWF World Junior Championships. Five of the six team members—Kaiyin Mataio, Edward Patai, Makea Pauka, Lana Toa, and Te Pa O Te Rangi Tupa—were part of that squad, while Arihoia Sprague-Marsters made her mark in the 2024 Victor Oceania Women’s Team Championships. Their journey to Saipan has been fueled by a strong sense of purpose, knowing that every match is an opportunity to learn, adapt, and showcase their talent on an international stage. Leading the team’s efforts behind the scenes is Manager Ahkim Tikaroa, whose unwavering support and organizational skills have kept the squad focused and prepared, along with Coach Ngaoa Ranginui, whose strategic insights and mentorship have been instrumental in developing the players’ techniques.

Among the standout players, Te Pa O Te Rangi Tupa is eager to test herself against tough competition, viewing each match as a stepping stone toward greater success. She has already made waves in the badminton world, showing her strength in both singles and doubles play. Tupa’s passion for the sport, which began at the age of seven, is evident in her love for the fast-paced nature of badminton and the strategic teamwork involved in doubles matches. As the tournament unfolds, the Cook Islands team is set to make their presence felt, proving that skill, determination, and a deep love for the game can overcome any challenge.

Beyond their individual talents, the Cook Islands squad thrives on teamwork and mutual encouragement, fostering a strong sense of unity that has carried them through rigorous training sessions and past competitions. Their preparation for the Victor Oceania Junior Championships 2025 has been marked by intense drills, strategic planning, and mental resilience exercises—all aimed at sharpening their skills and strengthening their bond as a team. Despite being considered underdogs in a tournament dominated by larger nations, the players embrace the challenge, viewing it as an opportunity to prove their capabilities and inspire the next generation of Cook Islands athletes. With unwavering determination and a deep love for the sport, they step onto the courts in Saipan not just as competitors but as proud representatives of their homeland, supported every step of the way by Manager Ahkim Tikaroa and Coach Ngaoa Ranginui. Photos courtesy of Northern Mariana Badminton

Mixed Team Results
Individual Results

10th Annual College Badminton Tournament 2025

The 10th Annual College Badminton Tournament in the Cook Islands was a thrilling showcase of young talent and determination. Held on May 22, 2025, the event brought together students from various schools across Rarotonga and Aitutaki, with Araura College making a particularly strong impression. The tournament featured competitors from Years 7 through 10, all eager to test their skills and claim victory. Araura College, in only its second year of participation, stunned spectators by securing both the junior and senior titles, a testament to their rigorous training and unwavering commitment. Players were fueled throughout the day with snack packs generously provided by CITC, ensuring they stayed energized for their matches.

Araura College’s success was no accident—it was the result of weeks of intense preparation. Under the guidance of coach Rere Mataiti, the team trained two to three days a week, refining their techniques and strategies. Their dedication extended beyond the court, as they organized fundraisers to cover travel expenses, raising over $8000 to ensure their participation. The support from their community, including sponsorships from Member of Parliament Teokotai “Tango” Herman, played a crucial role in their journey. Despite facing formidable opponents like Tereora College, Araura’s players remained focused, using their experience and teamwork to overcome challenges. The CITC snack packs provided a much-needed boost, allowing players to maintain their stamina and concentration throughout the tournament.

The tournament concluded with celebrations and pride, as Araura College’s players reflected on their remarkable achievement. Their victory was not just about winning titles—it was about proving their resilience and growth. Coach Mataiti expressed immense pride in his team, acknowledging their hard work, restless practices, and determination. The event highlighted the growing popularity of badminton in the Cook Islands and set the stage for even greater competition in the years to come. With such a strong foundation, the future of college badminton in the region looks brighter than ever. Thanks to CITC’s thoughtful contribution, players were able to perform at their best, making the tournament an even more memorable experience.

Full Results

Victor Oceania Badminton Championship and Pacific Invitational Team Event 2025

The Victor Oceania Championships 2025 were held from February 13th to 16th at Badminton North Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. This prestigious event featured both individual and mixed team competitions, showcasing the best badminton talent from across the Oceania region. The tournament served as a qualification event for the BWF Sudirman Cup finals in China, scheduled for May 2025. The upgraded facilities at Badminton North Harbour provided a top-notch experience for players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and spectators alike.

The Pacific Invitational Team Event 2025 was another highly anticipated tournament that took place at Badminton North Harbour. Badminton Cook Islands performed exceptionally well, winning the silver medal, while New Caledonia took home the gold. The tournament aimed to foster camaraderie and friendly competition among participating teams, providing a platform for players to hone their skills and gain valuable experience. The atmosphere was electric, with enthusiastic fans cheering on their favorite teams and creating a vibrant, supportive environment. The energy and excitement in the air were palpable, making the Pacific Invitational Team Event 2025 a memorable and thrilling experience for all involved.

The success of Badminton Cook Islands in the Pacific Invitational Team Event 2025 was a testament to their dedication and hard work. The team displayed exceptional talent and determination, earning the respect and admiration of their competitors and supporters. Their performance not only brought pride to the Cook Islands but also demonstrated the growing strength and competitiveness of badminton in the region. In addition to winning the silver medal, Badminton Cook Islands was also awarded the Best Team Chant award, further highlighting their team spirit and enthusiasm throughout the competition.

Both tournaments highlighted the exceptional talent and sportsmanship of the participating athletes, making them a significant milestone in the badminton calendar for the Oceania and Pacific regions. The events not only provided opportunities for players to showcase their skills but also helped to promote and grow the sport of badminton in the area. Badminton Cook Islands’ participation and impressive performance underscored their commitment to developing the sport and nurturing young talent within the region. The lively and spirited atmosphere of the competitions further contributed to the overall success and enjoyment of the events. Photos courtesy of Badminton Oceania

Aitutaki to hold its first AGM

The Aitutaki Badminton Association is holding its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday, 11th November 2024. This meeting is a big step for the local badminton community, bringing together players, coaches, and fans who are excited to grow the sport on the island. They will discuss plans for future tournaments, community outreach, and training programs to help players of all ages improve their skills.

Recently, junior players from Aitutaki have already shown their talent in a College tournament and the AIMS competition. At the AGM, the group will talk about their goals for the next year, including finding funding, starting regular practice sessions, and working with other badminton associations. The meeting is expected to be full of energy and optimism, setting the stage for a supportive and successful badminton community on Aitutaki.

Cook Islands Debut at the BWF Junior World Championship 2023

The BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships 2023 marks a landmark for Cook Islands as they make their debut at a BWF event. Their participation is a Shuttle Time success story, for all six members of the team have come up through BWF’s flagship schools programme.

Shuttle Time, which started in the Cook Islands in 2015, is currently running in 20 schools, mostly in the capital Rarotonga. The programme engages over 1500 participants every year.

Thomas Mereana-Ngauru, president of Cook Islands Badminton Association, has a satisfied smile as he watches the team competition.

“We’ve surprised ourselves at how well we’ve done in a short period. I find myself sitting here and smiling, pleased that we’re here and seeing all these amazing players. We want to keep going.”

Mereana-Ngauru joined the association in 2016 and became president the next year, and recounts the early conversations with his team.

“Seven years ago we decided that we’re starting our association again, after years of watching it go up and down. We sat around and said, look, we need to start doing more with our kids, more development, to sustain our sport.

“So we did that, starting with Shuttle Time and going to the schools. The kids we have here have all come through Shuttle Time. So we have been able to watch it go from Shuttle Time to development programmes to this competition here. For us it’s been a lot of hard work over the years and sort of wondering if it’s all worth it, if we’ll ever get anywhere, but we’re here, and actually being competitive as well. It means everything; it’s the reason we do this.”

The Cook Islands consist of 15 islands scatter over 2 million square kilometres in the Pacific Ocean. Shuttle Time is mainly focussed in the capital Rarotonga, but the programme has been expanded to two of the outer islands.

Men’s singles player Daniel Akavi says he hadn’t even heard of badminton seven years ago. Once he was introduced to it through Shuttle Time, everything changed.

“The first time, I was like, it’s not for me. I thought it was easy, but I was obviously wrong. What interested me was that it was difficult to play and I wanted to try something new,” said Akavi. “But then I thought it’s challenging, and I like being challenged.”

“The World Juniors is making me want to play at a higher level. Next year I’ll go to university. And then it’ll be my first time to see how New Zealand train. If I go to New Zealand for university there, I want to see how high-intensity training is like.

“I’m now more hungry, having watched these top level players. After watching those my age play the top level, this is inspiration for me to try my best and be like them.”

  • BWF

Vital Stats – Cook Islands

11 Shuttle Time Teachers courses delivered, 129 Shuttle Time Teachers trained, 1179 Children engaged, 01 Shuttle Time Youth Leadership Workshop delivered, 12 Shuttle Time Youth Leaders trained

U17 Team wins silver at Oceania Championship 2024

Cook Islands U17 team won silver at the 2024 VICTOR Oceania Championships U17 Invitational Team Challenge in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Badminton Oceania reported that playing against Tahiti, Cook Islands came away with the first win in the mixed doubles. 

Tahiti then fought back as Ethan Wolf-Micas won the men’s singles to even the score. 

Cook Islands Te Pa Tupa had an outstanding win in the women’s singles to take the Cook Islands ahead once again. 

But the Tahitians were not done, creating the most exciting men’s doubles result to keep the tie alive.  The fifth and final match was a thriller, sending the hovering crowd into raptures as Tahiti won the match and the gold medal.

Thomas Mereana-Ngauru, President of Badminton Cook Islands said “It was heartbreak for the juniors.  We would have loved to take Tahiti down.  Sometimes it’s hard to gauge how well we are doing until we come to a tournament like this and see the positive results”.

Mereana-Ngauru, “To be honest we knew we would do well and that it was either going to be Gold and Silver. 

“We had a good chance at Gold, especially having the top two U17 players in the Pacific Te Pa Tupa and Kaiyin Mataio but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be but I’m extremely proud of all of the teams.”

He said their first ever men’s team had their first ever win against Fiji with both the open teams coming fourth and just missing out on a medal.

Badminton Cook Islands is now preparing two players to qualify for the Junior Olympics in 2026 and they are focused on the AIMS Games in September and World Junior Champs in October in China

World Badminton Day

First ever World Badminton Day was held on Tuesday 5th 2022 and was celebrated in the Cook Islands. This day was established to invite individuals and networks to encounter fun and comprehensive badminton, through an assortment of dynamic, connecting with, and imaginative badminton occasions. This is going to be a yearly event where all can take part in this phenomenon

Why the 5th of July you ask, well the first ever world body that governs badminton was established on the 5th of July 1934(formally known as International Badminton Federation IBF and now known as the Badminton World Federation BWF) had nine Member Associations at the time.

A Day of Badminton in the Cook Islands

To show you what a day feels like in the world of badminton here in the Cook Islands Please see snippet below, as Thomas Ngauru shows a full day of badminton in Paradise. Follow link for more videos. https://www.facebook.com/badmintoncookislands/videos

Highlights from Social Night that Night

Human of Shuttle Time

The Badminton World Federation’s Humans of Shuttle Time series presents the perspectives of those who work on badminton development at the grassroots level.

This month, they caught up with Hebrew Tom (Shuttle Time National Coordinator of Cook Islands) to discuss how badminton helped him to find new a new meaning in life, alongside his experiences with coaching, helping the community through badminton and its impact.

I’m from a tiny island called Palmerston Island in the Cook Islands. It is the smallest of the islands in the Cooks at 2.6 sq.km and a population between 27 and 58. Many families have moved on to other parts of the world to make a better life for themselves.

I was born and raised on Palmerston Island and moved to New Zealand in 1987 and did my schooling there, as Palmerston Island only has schools up to sixth grade. Most of my childhood I never had any kind of schooling as teachers were hard to find and replace. After leaving home and over the years Rarotonga and New Zealand became my home as I lived in both countries.

From Tennis to Badminton

I first played badminton during my senior college years. I was 16 and my initiation into badminton was by accident. I was a tennis player. One of my friends happened to be a badminton player and she introduced me to the game and asked me to attend their training session, so it happened that both me and my brother attended the training session and we loved it. After the first session we got hooked and continue to train and play in little tournaments at our local gym and while challenging other schools in our region.

First Impressions

What struck me at first was how interesting the sport looked and how challenging it was. I remember the hardest part of the sport was trying to hit the shuttlecock. The sport was totally different from tennis and the training was a lot more tense and interesting. The co-ordination is different and somehow I had to try and fit another sport into my busy schedule as I was also playing table tennis for the school. So badminton became the third sport I played for the school.

Deeper Association

After leaving school in 1990 I didn’t get involved in the sport until 2015. I was living in New Zealand and came out to Rarotonga for a holiday and found out that the organisation had started and a good friend was the president of the association. Also, my brother was on the committee. After returning to NZ I was asked in 2016 if I would be able to accompany our first team to the Aims Games. That was a big eye opener for me, to be involved in the sport and see our kids grow and how much they have achieved.

Memorable Events

It was our very first Aims Games. I met so many people and children through this tournament and we became good friends and I adopted the children as our own and that is the team from Tolaga Bay Area School. What made it special was when the team came over to Rarotonga for a holiday and had a little tournament with our players.

What Badminton Means

I’ve been told many times that I need a life outside of badminton. Badminton is life and I breathe and sleep badminton. I have to say badminton is my saviour. It’s a sport that is good for fitness and for health. In 2012 I was diagnosed with a lung disorder and was told I have the lungs of a 70-year-old man and only 41 per cent was working. It took a whole year before I got diagnosed and was told that I wouldn’t be able to do any physical activity and I would have to be on a disability benefit for the rest of my life. In 2015 when I came out to Rarotonga for a holiday and I got involved in badminton and gave it a try I felt fine, only with lots of huffing and puffing but nothing to send me to the hospital. On returning to NZ my specialist was shocked when I told her what I’d done. She ran a test and gave me the all-clear to carry on. I had to take one step at a time and have regular check-up every three-six months. So this is what badminton has done for me. It is my saviour.

Impact of Shuttle Time

Shuttle Time made a big impact in our region and in the community. By having Shuttle Time we managed to get a lot of people involved and the demand for the sport has grown to an extent where it was hard for the association to keep up.

The biggest lesson I’ve learnt after becoming a Shuttle Time tutor is that by going out and delivering Shuttle Time to schools and the community, you are not only improving the childrens’ and adults’ skills but also improving yourself and building yourself up.

Courtesy of Badminton Oceania

Highlights; Masters in Paradise 2022

Opening night Thursday 26th May 2022, Edgewater Resort, Umu hut, 5:45pm was a start to an awesome night of the first ever Badminton Oceania Masters in Paradise 2022, in association with Badminton Oceania. The night saw the blend and mingling of local players wth the NZ and Australian based players. The night was filled with canopies, Cook Islands dancing by Nicolea Mateariki, followed by a brief introduction from the teams and also the presentation of ‘Goodie bags’. The night finished with a bit of Karaoke and good music, before everybody retired to there rooms, resting for day one

The age was no barrier when it came to 5 first two days. With the oldest players in there 70’s. They showed no sign of backing down and rose to the challenge. There were also some fierces games played by our NZ teams yesterday, against our local teams. Hawkes Bay versus Coco Smash was one of them. Unfortunately, Coco Smash was unable to keep up with the number two seeded players, and lost 186 points to 91 points

Auckland Pinoy’s versus Mighty Royales was another tough match to watch, with some of the games scoring one each score everytime. However, Mighty Royale managed to win against Auckland Pinoy’s 129 points to 165 points, banking them a spot in division one. Full Results Here

During the tournament, there was also an umpires course practical test that was ran alongside the Masters in Paradise. Giving the chance for 11 individuals of mixed ages to put there theory to pratice and to be Pacific Umpire Accredited by Badminton Oceania, and received there Certificates during day 2 of the tournament

A ‘Yankee style tournament’ was also ran on day 2, to engage with other badminton players, generally made of junior players, which gave them the opportunity to play with NZ players. The day ended with everyone mix and mingling and enjoying pizza

Sunday, Captain Tama’s. The team got to enjoy the island excursion which included, a boat ride out on to the Motu(Atoll), swimming and snorkelling with the fishes followed by lunch and show (how to tye the sarong), and some more swimming, before returning back to the Edgewater

The day ended with a come and try out Air Badminton down at the Edgewater Resort.

Bring on the final two days. Goodluck to all teams in division one and two

Newly elected Badminton Oceania President Loke Poh Wong

The 35th Annual General Meeting took place at Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre on Saturday 30 April 2022.

The voting AGM was also a hybrid AGM, with a combination of personnel meeting in the same room and the majority of member association representatives and delegates joining via Zoom.

There were two nominations for the Presidential election: Geraldine Brown and Loke Poh Wong – both residing in Australia.

Geraldine has been an Executive Board Member since 2005, voted on as the Vice President in 2010 and elected as President in 2012. She will continue to contribute her services towards the development of badminton in Oceania as an Executive Board Member, while also continuing to fulfil the role as BWF Vice-President Oceania which she has done since 2013.

Similarly, Loke Poh Wong has been an Executive Board member since 2010 and undertakes the role as Events Advisor (previously the event’s committee), where he has provided support since 2012.

Ultimately, the votes swayed in Loke Poh’s favour and he has been elected as President from 2022-2026.

The result meant that the Nigel Skelt (New Zealand) was the only remaining candidate for Deputy President and will continue his position in the role which he has undertaken from 2005-2007 and since 2012.

Meanwhile, Glenn Cox was reelected unopposed to the Executive Board, a position he has held since 2017.

Badminton Oceania congratulates Loke Poh on his successful campaign and thanks all candidates for their loyalty and services to the overarching mission and vision.

“First of all, I’d like to thank Geraldine Brown, who was my mentor for many years and she has been a terrific President. Of course, I’d also like to thank Oceania’s members who have elected me as your new President, for entrusting me with such an honour and I hope to serve you well in this role. We really want to make badminton accessible to everybody in Oceania and have a racket in everybody’s hand. As a confederation of the Badminton World Federation, we look forward to delivering the programmes and exceeding expectations over the next four years”, says Loke Poh Wong

“I’d like to firstly congratulate Loke Poh, on his successful challenge to gain Presidency. I look forward to working with him as I am still on the Executive Board for Badminton Oceania and am proud to be a part of it. We look forward to working together in the future for the betterment of Oceania”, says Geraldine Brown

Article from Badminton Oceania Website