Sharon Toako, an administrative intern with Oceania Athletics, is in Tuvalu on a separate appointment made by Tuvalu Athletics Association. She supports the federation’s athlete development and coaching programme as it prepares athletes for qualification and participation opportunities leading towards the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. She departed Australia on 14 August and works directly with athletes and officials.

Much of her time is spent at Motufoua Secondary School, where she takes training sessions and has built a routine with the students around them. “After training, the athletes, their friends, and even friends of friends gather in a circle to share stories, ask questions, and connect,” she says. “When I first arrived, many were shy to speak English because they normally speak their mother tongue. I encouraged them to speak with me anyway even if it was broken English or a mix of languages. Seeing them slowly gain confidence and open up has been truly special.”

She is direct about coaching in a setting where equipment and facilities are limited. “This experience has reminded me that you don’t need perfect facilities, equipment or conditions to create opportunities for athletes to grow,” she says. “You need belief, commitment, and the willingness to see the potential in someone before they see it in themselves.”

The appointment gives Tuvalu Athletics targeted support for emerging athletes and strengthens its coaching environment. It also fits an OAA objective of building coaching capacity and athlete performance pathways across Oceania

When asked what has surprised her most so far, Toako points to the airport runway. From around three or four in the afternoon, she says, people come out of their homes and the space fills with soccer, rugby, volleyball and track and field. “It’s amazing to see how one shared space brings the whole community together.”

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