Micro Games may be held in NMI next year

KOROR, Palau—The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has expressed interest in hosting the Micronesian Games next year.

This according to NMI chef de mission Michael White, who said yesterday that he spoke with the Micronesian Games Council and informed them that the CNMI is interested in “picking up the ball and holding the Games.”

“I made it known to the Micronesian Games Council that if and when Yap says they can’t hold the games, we would be interested…but only if Yap can’t,” he said. “It’s their call whether they want to put on the Games or not.”

Apparently, Yap has showed signs of possibly not hosting the Games next year due to damages suffered from a recent devastating typhoon.

“I spoke [yesterday] morning with officials from Yap with regard to whether they plan on going forward with the Games or not,” White said. “The situation in Yap is that they haven’t decided what they want to do yet. There are some people who want to go forward and put on the Games and some people that think that Yap shouldn’t en light of the damage they suffered from the typhoon last year. They haven’t made their official decision yet, and we’re not going to step forward and do anything until they do. It’s their Games until they say that they can’t hold it. That’s their call.”

White explained that he believes the NMI can host the Games in case of a pullout from Yap, however, he stressed that a lot of work still needs to be done.

“We can put on Micro Games with no problems with the facilities we have,” he said. “Obviously, we’re going to have to work on organization if it comes to us getting the Games but I think we can put it together in one year.”

He added that several elements must be seriously looked at in preparing for the Games.

“I think pulling together all the resources that we have…there’s an immense amount of work that needs to be done to get these Games organized. Housing, food and transportation are probably the big three, and those will take a lot of effort to get things going,” he said.

Meanwhile, former NMI swim coach and NMASA president Bill Sakovich, who is also in Palau coaching the country’s swim team, indicated that he is confident the NMI can host the Games.

“They can do it,” he said. “I think it’s a matter of who’s going to coordinate and put it together and if they have money to do it. It’s probably going to cost about half a million to upgrade all the facilities, for meals and everything for athletes, transportation, upgrade schools for accommodations. There’s a lot of work that will have to done but it will be great for the sports to be able to upgrade the facilities for that purpose.”

He said that if given the opportunity, the CNMI should act and “take it.”

“[NMI] definitely should take it,” he said. “It’s a good benefit for CNMI. Saipan does have the facilities and could host it.”

Sakovich also disclosed that aside from the CNMI, other areas showing interest in hosting the Games are Guam and Pohnpei.

He said a meeting would possibly be held next week to discuss the matter.

Pohnpei hosted the 2002 Micronesian Games while Palau hosted it 1998. The last time the CNMI hosted the games was when the quadrennial event was first revived in 1990.