The Palau National Olympic Committee and Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee have renewed a bilateral cooperation agreement ©CTOC

The Palau National Olympic Committee (PNOC) has signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) to re-affirm their commitment to sports exchanges and collaboration.

A signing ceremony was held between CTOC President Hong-Dow Lin and his PNOC counterpart Frank Kyota.

The CTOC has successfully signed sports exchange agreements with nearly 40 National Olympic Committees across five continents since 1979.

There is intense rivalry between Taiwan and China to court the support of countries in the Pacific for strategic reasons and to obtain access to their natural resources.

Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean with a population of under 20,000, and Taiwan have had economic and political relations since 1994.

The National Olympic Committees of Palau and Chinese Taipei signed their first agreement in 2017 ©CTOC
The National Olympic Committees of Palau and Chinese Taipei signed their first agreement in 2017 ©CTOC

Taiwan have funded Palauan buildings such as the Palasia Hotel, Palau Royal Resort, Hung Kuo Resort and Papago International Resort.

But in 2010, a petroleum company of the People's Republic of China signed a $40 million (£31 million/€37 million) cooperation with Palau to explore oil reserve around the island.

The PNOC signed its first cooperation agreement with the CTOC, forced to use the name Chinese Taipei following pressure from Beijing, in 2017.

In this year’s document, CTOC has extended an invitation to the PNOC to renew and further strengthen their friendship.

The agreement encompasses a wide range of collaborative areas, including sports exchange, staff exchange, medical science, anti-doping initiatives and the development of the National Olympic Academy.

Palau have competed in every Olympics since their debut at Sydney 2000 and sent three athletes to Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images
Palau have competed in every Olympics since their debut at Sydney 2000 and sent three athletes to Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

By fostering these exchanges, both organisations aim to enhance their respective sporting programmes, while promoting friendship and understanding between Taiwan and Palau, it is claimed.

As part of the deal, Baklai Temengil, secretary general of PNOC and also an International Olympic Committee member, will be a keynote lecturer at the 2023 International Sports Affairs Training Course hosted by CTOC during a visit to Taiwan.

Palau has competed in every Summer Olympics since making its debut at Sydney 2000.

The country is still waiting for its first medal.

Palau sent a team of three athletes to the re-arranged Olympics at Tokyo 2020, one athlete and two swimmers.