Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Carlstrom | Spanish sailors assigned to the Spanish Navy ship ESPS Alvaro De Bazan (F101) and...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM - The MWR Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Sports and Fitness department hosted a series of sporting tournaments for servicemembers participating in Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026. The RIMPAC sporting events have been a key evolution for the bi-annual exercise since its inception in 1971.
The RIMPAC sports tournaments are hosted by Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) whose mission is to support the well-being and readiness of the military community by delivering high-quality, customer-focused programs and aims to enhance retention, mental health, and overall quality of life for service members, their families, civilian employees, and retirees.
Ashley Shoemaker, an MWR Sports Specialist, is in her first year organizing the RIMPAC sporting events and she expressed how the sports promote partnership, one of the key components of RIMPAC.
“Having them build camaraderie and morale with all of the sporting events is significant,” said Shoemaker. “Everyone comes from different backgrounds, different countries, but one common thing they have is the sport. It’s a common language.”
This year, New Zealand is leading in many of the events, placing them at first place in the running for the RIMPAC cup with Peru as a close second.
“If a foreign ship were to win our RIMPAC cup this year, it would be the first time a non-U.S. ship has won since 2012” said Mykhal Larzelere, admin to the MWR JBPHH Sports and Fitness department. "It's all going to come down to the wire, and we are extremely pleased with the turnout."
The MWR JBPHH Sports and Fitness department coordinated over 16 sporting events to include the newly added outrigger canoe competition, tug of war, dodgeball, and obstacle course. Shoemaker added that the soccer tournament was the longest event, lasting four days, and felt especially meaningful to the RIMPAC theme Partners: integrated and prepared.
“Soccer is such a universal sport for everybody,” said Shoemaker. "Cultural and language barriers did not stand in the way of participants enjoying the event to the fullest. Throw in the fact the World Cup is also currently happening, it gives the people who show up a chance to represent their countries who may not be able to make the World Cup."
The winner of the RIMPAC cup is set to be announced following the conclusion of additional sporting events beginning July 5th with daily updates provided online via the RIMPAC MWR sports page.
Thirty nations, over 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft and 30,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 24 to July 31. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
| Date Taken: | 07.04.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.05.2026 17:25 |
| Story ID: | 569385 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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