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CNMI National track meet tomorrow
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Posted on Apr 30 2009
Northern Marianas Athletics will be holding the 2009 CNMI National Track and Field Championship tomorrow at the Oleai Sports Complex.
NMA is encouraging CNMI athletes to compete in the championship, as this will also serve as a qualifying tournament for four off-island events.
“This track and field meet shall serve as a qualifying event for anyone interested in representing the CNMI in the Oceania Regional Championships 2009 in Gold Coast, Australia, the Mini Pacific Games in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, the World Youth Championships in Italy, and the IAAF World Championships in Germany,” NMA said in a press statement.
The tournament in Australia will be held from Aug. 4 to 6 and is dubbed as Mini Oceania Championships, as this will feature member-countries from Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
The CNMI is allowed to send seven athletes in Australia. Originally, the Commonwealth is set to compete in the Micronesian Athletics Championships in Palau in December. But to save funds, Oceania Athletics Association consolidated the Micronesian meet with the Polynesia and Melanesia tournaments into one, giving birth to the Oceania Regional Championships 2009.
NMA is also considering sending representatives to the Mini Games, which Cook Islands will be hosting late September. World Youth Championships in Sudtirol, Italy is set from July 8 to 12, while the world championship in Berlin will run from Aug. 15 to 23.
The CNMI is entitled to one entry each in the tournaments in Italy and Germany.
Besides joining qualifying tournaments, CNMI athletes must also meet eligibility requirements to earn a trip to these off-island events.
In 2007, sprinters Yvonne Bennett and Tyrone Omar represented the Commonwealth to the world championships in Osaka, Japan, while Jesus Iguel competed in the world youth championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland last year.
Meanwhile, this Saturday’s tournament will begin at 8am. Participants are encouraged to be at the track and field facility an hour before the start of the race for registration.
For more information, contact Allen Moses at 287-4907 or Elias Rangamar at 664-2502.
