NMI can’t wait to host ’21 Mini Games

The CNMI’s turn to host the 2021 Pacific Mini Games is still six years away but Northern Marianas Sports Association president Michael A. White said that the Commonwealth is ready to welcome athletes of the 21 other competing nations on Saipan.

White

Saipan, which previously bid for the 2017 Games that was awarded to Vanuatu, will be hosting the scaled down version of the quadrennial sporting event sometime in June or July 2021.

White, in an interview with Radio New Zealand before the closing ceremony of the XV Pacific Games in Port Moresby last Saturday, White said Saipan intends to emulate Papua New Guinea’s welcoming spirit.

The NMSA chief, who led a 35-member CNMI delegation to the recently concluded Pacific Games, added that Saipan’s sports facilities are pretty much in place.

“We’re pretty much all set for facilities, other than we need to build some toilet and shower blocks in the Games Village or Villages and we’d like to extend the grandstand in the main stadium. Other than that we’re pretty well set,” said White in the RNZ interview.

NMSA is at the forefront of organizing the Mini Games where it is seeking the support of the government and the private sector to ensure the successful hosting.

The Oleai Sports Complex, which has the Oleai track oval that is awaiting to be resurfaced to get back to its Level II international certification, is expected to be the main hub of the Mini Games where the opening and closing ceremonies, and athletics events will be held.

The Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball and Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Softball fields, Marianas High School Gymnasium, TSL Sports Complex, the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool, and the American Memorial Park tennis courts are the other venues considered to host various competitions.

Hyatt Regency Saipan, Fiesta Resort & Spa-Saipan, and Pacific Islands Club-Saipan also have tennis courts and beach volleyball courts

Athletics, badminton, golf, tennis, va’a, volleyball (indoor and beach), baseball, sailing, swimming, triathlon, weightlifting, and wrestling are the 12 sports to be played in the 2021 Mini Games.

American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna are the other competing countries aside from host CNMI.