By: Timothy Omwega | April 4, 2025
The AIIAS Mini Olympics 2025 was a truly exceptional celebration on our campus, filled with camaraderie, athleticism, and a spirit of unity. It’s incredible how something as simple as sports can have such a lasting impact on a community. Clearly, this event has become a cornerstone for bringing together students, faculty, and staff at AIIAS. The Olympics have always been known for transcending borders, and AIIAS has certainly embraced that tradition.
What makes this event even more remarkable is how it aligns with the holistic Adventist lifestyle. By promoting physical health and fitness, the AIIAS Mini Olympics nurtures the body while also supporting the spiritual and mental well-being at the heart of the Adventist faith. This annual sporting event serves as a reminder that every aspect of life—body, mind, and spirit—should be in harmony, as reflected in the scriptures and the teachings of Ellen G. White.
This year’s event stood out even more due to the increasing diversity within the AIIAS community. It’s always exciting to witness an institution grow, particularly as it welcomes so many new faces from around the world. The rising student enrollment and faculty diversity made the event even more meaningful, reflecting the global nature of the Olympics, where athletes from diverse cultures unite for friendly competition.
Held from February 6 to 16, 2025, the AIIAS Mini Olympics 2025 embraced the theme “One Team. One Fitness. One Faith.” The event kicked off with a lively parade at 5 p.m. on February 6, where all five teams—Gray, White, Blue, and Black—marched in vibrant colors, following the traditional AIIAS Mini Olympics torch, accompanied by an orchestra. Teams earned points for attendance, with greater participation resulting in higher scores. After the parade, the Opening Ceremony commenced at 5:30 p.m. at the AIIAS Gymnasium, with players wearing their team colors.
The teams were carefully organized to ensure fairness, taking factors such as age, gender, and campus population into consideration, though some teams had specific strengths in certain areas. Regardless, the spirit of fun, competition, and camaraderie prevailed throughout the week. Opening remarks were delivered by AIIAS President, Dr. Ginger Ketting-Weller, and the opening prayer was offered by the Vice President of Student Affairs, Pastor Robert Benjamin. Afterward, each team developed and showcased its unique chants, adding to the excitement.
Captains and co-captains played a vital role in organizing their teams, ensuring that players were ready and present for their events while also rallying support from fellow students. Attendance at the games was closely monitored, with participants earning extra points for their teams through daily participation. The sporting events included basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, tennis, chess, football, and athletics, all leading up to the final events—the AIIAS “marathon” and tug-of-war, which took place on February 16, marking the conclusion of the Olympics.
Another standout feature of the AIIAS Mini Olympics was the community fundraising aspect. Teams had the opportunity to sell food and drinks, with each community informing the organizers and receiving approval to share their delicious offerings, adding a festive touch to the event. Sampling various cultural delicacies was a highlight for many attendees. Additionally, all registered participants were given T-shirts in their team colors, while non-registered participants could purchase one at a reasonable price, further fostering a sense of unity and pride among team members.
In the end, the White Team emerged victorious, with the Black Team taking second place, followed by the Blue and Gray teams. As with every event, there were ups and downs, as well as both positives and challenges, but the 2025 Mini Olympics was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. According to one of the student organizers, here is a summary of the event: “As one of the organizers of the Mini Olympics 2025, I was overwhelmed with joy to see the enthusiasm and vibrant energy of both students and personnel as they actively participated in the games we had prepared. Although some parts of the schedule were not strictly followed, we are still grateful to everyone who supported and joined this annual event.
One of my takeaways from the Mini Olympics is how it brings people together from different backgrounds and cultures. It also allows us to mingle and interact with our professors—not just in an academic setting but as teammates or playmates in sports. Indeed, we truly embraced this year’s theme: “One Team. One Fitness. One Faith.” Participants persevered and carried on with the program, learning from both our experiences and the challenges we faced. Thank you!” (Mellan Balanza)
