Team Nauru not home for the holidays

The Nauru delegation that recently competed in the 2nd Micronesia Athletics Championships encountered difficulty returning home and was stranded in Majuro during the Christmas holiday.

According to information posted Friday on the Oceania Athletics Association website, the delegation was still awaiting a flight to Tarawa and then on to Nauru.

The delegation was expected to leave Majuro last Thursday, however, the athletes and officials were not able to because of a scheduling snafu.

The delegation, along with the Kiribati delegation, left Saipan last Dec. 16 for Majuro. The athletes and officials of both teams were expecting a short layover, however, their wait took much longer than expected, as they did not know that Air Nauru was not able to accommodate their travel.

Air Nauru’s only jet was repossessed by Export-Import Bank after the airline fell behind on payments. According to a Dec. 27 report by Biz Journal, Export-Import Bank spent 18 months trying to negotiate with the airline, however, its final offer was rejected by Air Nauru, resulting in the repossession of the carrier’s lone aircraft.

The Kiribati delegation had better luck and caught a flight to Tarawa on Dec. 22 and were home in time to celebrate the holidays with their families.

The website also quoted the Nauru Athletics Association as saying “we wish them luck on their long adventure,”

In an email yesterday, OAA executive director Yvonne Mullins said she has yet to hear from Nauru Athletics Association for an update, however, she added that the team was supposed to have return home on last Saturday.

“Hopefully [today] I will be able to email everyone and put the updated story on the web! But for now, I assume they arrived home on Saturday,” Mullins said.

Northern Marianas Athletics had earlier joined the OAA in extending its best wishes to the team for a safe journey home.

“We wish them the best and hope the team returns home to their families as soon as possible,” NMA said. “It’s unfortunate the delegation was not able to spend the holidays with their families and we hope for a safe journey.”

Nauru left Saipan after hauling 14 medals, with one gold, seven silver, and six bronze. Kiribati finished with four gold, seven silver medals, and a bronze.

Aside from Nauru and Kiribati, other participants of the MAC include CNMI, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and Marshall Islands. The MAC was held on Dec. 14 and 15 at the Oleai Sports Complex track and field oval.

While on Saipan, the delegations stayed at the Aquarius Beach Tower Hotel in Susupe.