NMSA to impose stricter rules

Northern Marianas Sports Association officials will be stricter in implementing rules and other guidelines for the public use of the Oleai track and field facility once resurfacing is done this year.

Despite the visible bubbles and black patches, a number of people are still walking on the Oleai track facility. The Northern Marianas Sports Association will be closing the track to the public once resurfacing of the facility starts. (Jon Perez)

NMSA executive director Tony Rogolifoi said that they plan to put up a signboard enumerating the rules and guidelines to inform the public of the do’s and dont’s in using the track facility.

“We need to control the use of the facility once the resurfacing the track is done and it opens again to the public,” Rogolifoi told Saipan Tribune.

“The public must know that athletes will also use the facility that’s why we’re asking them to be courteous and not to get in the athletes’ way while they are training.”

He added that NMSA personnel will be taking care of the maintenance of the track since it is the one managing and operating the Oleai Sports Complex.

“We will clean the surface every three to four months to keep dust and other unnecessary materials from sticking on the new track. We want the track to last longer this time,” said Rogolifoi.

The decade-old facility are now covered with black patches and bubbles, making it dangerous for public use.

NMSA is hoping to begin the track resurfacing in late January or February. The association is aiming to open the facility either by April or May in time for several events organized by Northern Marianas Athletics.

NMA is also planning to bid for the hosting rights of the 2017 Micronesian Athletics Championships, while Saipan will also host the 2021 Pacific Mini Games.

“I want to inform the public that the track will be closed once the resurfacing starts and will remain closed during the entire process,” said Rogolifoi.

At least two months are needed for putting the adhesive and laying out the track. The winning contractor needs to make sure the adhesive dries accordingly before putting down the new rubber surface.

Rogolifoi also reminded football players, once the new surface is in place, to remove their cleats when they are about to cross the track. League organizers could also put a cover on the players’ way to the pitch to protect the new rubber surface.

Rogolifoi also clarified that the construction manager, who will oversee the entire project, will be locally hired, while the expert is the one that they are going to tap off-island. The expert can either come from any European country or the U.S.

The expert will see if resurfacing is done according to the standards and procedure of the International Association of Athletics Federations. NMSA is trying to get the Oleai track, the only eight-lane Level II facility in the Micronesian region, to its original IAAF certification.

The new track oval, once completed, will have a light blue color and not the usual pinkish-red hue.

NMSA, aside from resurfacing the track, will also raise the four-foot fence to six so that children can no longer climb over and to avoid accidents.

A Community Development Block Grant from NMHC is funding the resurfacing of the track. (Jon Perez)