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Answer to come soon from MGOC
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Posted on Aug 30 2005
It has been a week since Gov. Juan N. Babauta signed a letter of intent that officially offered the facilities and faculties of Saipan to the athletes and supporters of the 2006 Micronesian Games.
While there has been no answer from the MGOC as of yet, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Juan L. Babauta said that it is just a matter of time before the response comes from the organizers.
“We haven’t received anything from the Micronesian Games Organizing Committee yet, but they’re going to be making a decision by the end of the month. They were very happy that we sent the commitment letter and they’re getting the board together to convene ASAP. Maybe they’ll send it to us by next week,” said Babauta.
The approval from the MGOC is the next link in the chain to hosting the Games, and according to the governor, the CNMI will form an organizing committee of its own as soon as the MCOC confirms that the games have been awarded to Saipan.
By furnishing the letter of intent to the MGOC, the CNMI will move into the next phase of the planning stages by getting the exact figures it would take to get Saipan ready to host the nearly 2,000 athletes, coaches, and supporters
Though he’s confident that there will be money available the Secretary said that he hasn’t received any response from the Commonwealth Development Authority or Legislature about funding.
“They haven’t put it on their agenda yet I guess because they haven’t got the official [approval] from the [MGOC], and that will give it a priority. We’re just crossing our fingers for something to come up. Everybody’s been provided the information, and we’re just waiting for their response,” he said.
After the 1969 MicrOlympics, the regional competition failed to reappear in the region until Saipan hosted the 1990 Micronesian Games. The 2006 Games were originally scheduled to be hosted by Yap, but the local facilities have still not recovered from typhoons that devastated the island last year, leaving the door open for the CNMI.
