{"id":410371,"date":"2024-06-10T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=410371"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"CNMI-welcomes-int-l-soccer-star-Saki-Kumagai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/CNMI-welcomes-int-l-soccer-star-Saki-Kumagai\/","title":{"rendered":"CNMI welcomes int\u2019l soccer star Saki Kumagai"},"content":{"rendered":"

The CNMI was treated to a rare visit by a current international star athlete, as Japan National Women\u2019s Football Team captain Saki Kumagai made her way to meet with and inspire the community last week.<\/p>\n

Kumagai arrived last Thursday and before her inspiring \u201cThe Way of My Life\u201d presentation and soccer clinic (the story will be posted in the next issue of Saipan Tribune<\/em>), she was first welcomed in a meet-and-greet by Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, NMIFA president Jerry Tan, Marianas Visitors Authority chair Gloria Cavanagh, and members of the Japanese community at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan last Friday.<\/p>\n

After the group shared with Kumagai the history of the CNMI and Japan, and addressed the importance of the Japanese tourism market in the CNMI, she sat for an interview with Saipan Tribune.<\/p>\n

Kumagai, the 2011 World Cup Champion, is a close friend, and former classmate and teammate of NMI soccer head coach Konomi Suzuki, who invited her to visit the CNMI.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old said along with inspiring the community through her presentation and soccer clinic, she wanted to visit Saipan and enjoy her vacation here. Her impression of Saipan? \u201cThe beach is beautiful and the weather is nice, while the people are all kind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

During the meet-and-greet, Tan first gave the group a brief introduction of the soccer star and said that it\u2019s the first time for NMIFA to invite and host an active international player.<\/p>\n

With her short visit, Tan welcomed her as an ambassador to help promote the CNMI in Japan, as he emphasized the importance of the Japanese tourism market in the CNMI.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all want to see more Japanese tourists come back and we\u2019re working very hard. Since we have the opportunity for Saki to be here, we want all her followers to visit us as part of our continuous effort to bring back more Japanese tourists,\u201d said Tan.<\/p>\n

Apatang started the round of introductions and thanked Kumagai for her visit on behalf of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and himself. He also welcomed Kumagai, along with her friends and family to visit the CNMI.<\/p>\n

Apatang also acknowledged that soccer in the CNMI is becoming very popular and is one of the fastest growing sports in the CNMI thanks to Tan. With that, he also told Saki to bring her soccer team to play against NMI players.<\/p>\n

Then, Tasi Tours Inc. president Junichiro Takahashi, Japan Saipan Travel Association president Masaharu Takahashi, Japanese Society of Northern Mariana Islands chair Seiji Sato, Tasi Tours Inc. general manager and Marianas Visitors Authority board member Masaru Sunaga, and PDM Promoters, Inc.\u2019s Hideaki Sawada said their welcome in Japanese.<\/p>\n

For Cavanaugh\u2019s part, she also underscored the importance of the Japanese market and the relationship between Japan and the CNMI. \u201cWe have a lot of history with the Japanese and we\u2019re really working hard to bring that market back. We spend a lot of money to ensure that the market actually survives. Hopefully next year, we\u2019ll be able to have a better and stronger market,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThank you Jerry for bringing in Saki because people like you are like ambassadors for us, and we hope that you get really good treatment while you\u2019re here. If there\u2019s anything that MVA can do for you, please let us know\u2026 because we want you to enjoy and we want you to say to your friends in Japan, \u2018hey, just three hours away, there\u2019s this little place that really, really wants us back and wants to show us their hospitality.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

From left, Saki Kumagai\u2019s manager Kouken Kuroki, Tasi Tours general manager and Marianas Visitors Authority board member Masaru Sunaga, MVA chair Gloria Cavanaugh, Tasi Tours president Junichiro Takahashi, PDM\u2019s Hideaki Sawada, NMIFA\u2019s Jerry Tan, Japan National Women\u2019s Football Team captain Saki Kumagai, NMI national soccer team head coach Konomi Suzuki, Japanese Society of Northern Mariana Islands chair Seiji Sato, and Japan Saipan Travel Association president Masaharu Takahashi pose for a group photo after their meet-and-greet at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan last Friday.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

From right, Japan National Women\u2019s Football Team captain Saki Kumagai, NMI national soccer team head coach Konomi Suzuki, and Kumagai\u2019s manager Kouken Kuroki at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan during the meet and greet with Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang and members of the Japanese community last Friday.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, third from right, poses with Japan National Women\u2019s Football Team captain Saki Kumagai, fourth from right, during their meet and greet with the soccer star at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan with members of the Japanese community last Friday.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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