Baklai Temengil (born 23 October 1966) is a

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...

an Cabinet member who is the current Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs. In 2017, she became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

and the first woman vice president of

Oceania National Olympic Committees The Oceania National Olympic Committees (acronym: ONOC) is an international organization that congregates the 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Oceania. It often assembles with other continental NOCs in the form of the Association of Nati ...

Early life and education

Baklai Temengil was born on 23 October 1966. She completed sports training at the

Australian Institute of Sports The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

and the

. Alternatively, Temengil was instructed in diplomacy by the Ministry of State in Palau.

Career

At the start of her career, Temengil was an administrator in Palau and the United States. She originally started in administration for the Public Auditor in Palau from 1987 to 1989 before moving to work in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

After working in liaison until 1995, Temengil moved back to Palau to become an admin assistant for Palau's Vice President until 1997. Succeeding her career in administration, Temengil participated in canoeing events at the 1998 Micronesian Games and

1999 South Pacific Games The 1999 South Pacific Games, held in Guam from 29 May to 12 June 1999, was the eleventh edition of the South Pacific Games. Participating countries The 21 countries that competed at the 1999 South Pacific Games were: Note: A number in parenthe ...

representing Palau. Temengil subsequently led Palau's Olympic team at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

. Furthermore, Temengil competed at the 2011 Pacific Games in

outrigger canoeing Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger ...

. Outside of her athletic career, Temengil began her political career in 2001 when she was elected to the Palau National Olympic Committee as secretary general. In 2013, Temengil was named Palau's minister of Community and Cultural Affairs. In April 2017, Temengil became the first woman to become vice president of the

. The same year, she was elected onto the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Temengil, Baklai 1966 births International Olympic Committee members Living people Culture ministers of Palau Women government ministers of Palau 21st-century Palauan women politicians 21st-century Palauan politicians