NMI eyes over 100 delegates to Micro Games

The track oval at the 2,000-seater Yap Sports Complex will host teams competing in the athletics event in the 2018 Micronesian Games, which will run from July 15 to 28. (Contributed Photo)

The Northern Marianas Sports Association is looking to send more than 100 athletes, coaches, and officials to the 2018 Micronesian Games, set from July 15 to 28 in Colonia, Yap.

This is Yap’s first time to host the region’s quadrennial games, with the opening and closing ceremonies to be held at the 2,000-seater Yap Sports Complex. The national stadium would also host competitions in the medal rich athletics event.

In the Participation Survey Compilation sent out by Yap’s organizing committee, 1,636 delegates from Palau, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Yap, and the CNMI may gather for the ninth edition of the quadrennial event. Out of this number, the CNMI initially listed, 119 athletes—70 male and 49 female—16 coaches, and six officials. Team CNMI will be competing in nine sports in this year’s Micro Games with athletics, outrigger canoe, table tennis, and weightlifting—events that offer a large portion of medals—having a combined 48 athletes and six coaches.

Athletics, during the NMSA meeting early this month, confirmed it will have seven male and seven female participants, while table tennis and weightlifting only committed their respective men’s squads. Outrigger canoe will both have men’s and women’s teams with each group made up of nine paddlers.

Baseball will probably have the most number of athletes among the Commonwealth teams with its 21 players, while it will also send three coaches. Mariana Islands Basketball Federation will be having a 10-member team each in the men’s and women’s divisions, while beach volleyball will have a pair each in the men’s and women’s categories.

Indoor volleyball initially expressed interest in sending teams in the men’s and women’s divisions, but missed this month’s meeting and did not confirm its final entry, while Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation earlier listed 10 for the open ocean swim. The CNMI won’t be having representatives in Micronesian All Around, soccer, spearfishing, and wrestling.

NMSA has yet to release the official number of Team CNMI’s delegation as Yap Micro Games Organizing Committee’s deadline for participating nations to confirm their final entries only expired yesterday.

Team CNMI delegates will head to Yap this year hoping to improve its medal output. The CNMI finished sixth in the standings during the 2014 Micronesian Games in Pohnpei with a total medal haul of 14 golds, 15 silvers, and five bronzes. The Commonwealth competed in athletics, baseball, basketball (men’s and women’s), outrigger canoe, spearfishing, swimming, and weightlifting.