Team Marianas arrives in Solomons

Team Marianas arrived in Honiara, the Solomon Islands yesterday afternoon after leaving Saipan earlier in the morning via charter flight and will spend the next few days preparing for their respective competitions in the 2023 Pacific Games.

Team Marianas chef de mission Nick Gross led the Northern Mariana Islands delegation, which includes athletes and officials from athletics, beach volleyball, bodybuilding, football, golf, swimming tennis, triathlon, va’a, and weightlifting. Team Marianas has a total of 102 delegates to the 2023 Pacific Games and bulk of the traveling group boarded the Solomon Airlines charter flight yesterday morning, while the rest of the squad will go to Honiara via commercial flight later this week.

“This is it. Our athletes and officials will be working hard in the next two weeks to represent the Northern Mariana Islands well,” said Gross before departing for Honiara. Gross met with the Pacific Games organizers last night for the delegation registration meeting, as the rest of Team Marianas settled in at their designated Athletes Village—the Solomon Islands National University Kukkum.

Gross and company received a warm send-off from Team Marianas supporters at departure area of the Francisco C. Ada /Saipan International Airport with the Northern Marianas Sports Association Board leading the group’s well-wishers.

“On behalf of the NMSA Board, I wish everyone good luck. I am confident you will also represent the NMI well in the Pacific Games. Enjoy the experience and make us proud,” said NMSA president Jerry Tan.

Joining Tan in the airport send-off were NMSA vice president Ramon Tebuteb, general secretary Valerie Hofschneider, treasurer John Hirsh, and board member Alex Sablan. Families, friends, and supporters of the NMI athletes and officials were also part of the group that wished the team good luck yesterday morning.

“Sending-off my daughter (Riella Ann Billy Ichiuo) makes me remember the times I was part of Team Marianas and competed in the Pacific Games. It makes me want to go with the team right now and experience what it’s like to compete at this level,” said CNMI Sports Hall of Famer Tony Ichiuo, who represented the islands in athletics competition on many occasions.

His daughter is competing in weightlifting—the sport that has consistently given the NMI medals in regional competitions.

“I wish my daughter and all the NMI athletes good luck. I know it will be very hard competing at this high-level competition, but they have to remain confident and keep their focus. Focus on what they’ve been training and do not be worried of their competitors,” said Ichiuo, who came to the airport with his wife, Rose.

The weightlifting competition will not take place until next week. The NMI tennis and football players will be the first ones to go for Team Marianas with the team tennis event slated to kick off this Friday. The NMI National Men’s Football Team, on the other hand, will have its Pacific Games debut this Saturday, Nov. 18 against Fiji. Next up will be the NMI swimmers, who will have their first races on Nov. 20, a day after the opening ceremony on Nov. 19.

Beach volleyball is set from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2; bodybuilding is slated on Nov. 28; golf is from Nov. 22 to 25; triathlon is scheduled from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1; vaa is from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1; and weightlifting will run from Nov. 20 to Nov. 24.

Team Marianas is supported by Joeten Daidai Foundation, Triple J, Crowne Plaza Resort, IT&E, IP&E, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Mobil, Tan Holdings, and McDonald’s of Guam & Saipan. (PR)