Joyleen Baklai Temengil (born 23 October 1966) is a

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

an politician 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; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

and the first woman vice president of

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

Early life and education

Baklai Temengil was born on 23 October 1966. She completed sports training at the Australian Institute of Sports 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. 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 The Micronesian Games (or Micro Games, MicroGames) are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands). The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially du ...

and

1999 South Pacific Games The 11th South Pacific Games, also known as Guam 1999 (), held in Santa Rita and Hagåtña, 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 19 ...

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, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. Furthermore, Temengil competed at the

2011 Pacific Games The 14th Pacific Games (), also known as NC 2011 or Nouméa 2011, took place in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from August 27 to September 10, 2011. Nouméa was the 14th host of the Pacific Games. Upon closure of the registration for entries, "some 4,300 ...

in outrigger canoeing. Outside of her athletic career, Temengil began her political career in 2001 when she was elected to the

Palau National Olympic Committee Palau National Olympic Committee (IOC code: PLW) is the National Olympic Committee representing Palau. Palau has appeared at each Summer Olympics beginning in 2000, but has never participated in the Winter Olympics. As of 2025, Frank Kyota serv ...

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