CNMI golfers pull out from Mini Games

Franco Nakamura, seen here eyeing his shot during the 2017 Governor’s Tournament of Champions, and five other CNMI golfers pulled out from the 2017 Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

CNMI Federation of Golf Associations president David Largent said the Commonwealth will no longer send a men’s team to the 2017 Pacific Mini Games in Port Vila in Vanuatu later this year.

Largent informed Northern Marianas Sports Association president Michael White of the golfers’ withdrawal even before the Pacific Games Council sent out the athletes’ entries for the 10th edition of the quadrennial sporting conclave. The CNMI, based on the Vanuatu Mini Games’ list, have six players entered in the golf competition. They are veterans Joseph Camacho, Harry Nakamura Jr., Luis Tilipao, Sebastian Camacho, and youngsters Dong Young Lee and Franco Santos. Largent said they informed NMSA before the Oct. 20 deadline for submission of the athletes’ names about their withdrawal. He cited work and school schedules as reasons for not pushing through with their trip to Port Vila, which will host the Games from Dec. 4 to 15

“Our team is still not sure with work and school [schedules]. And it is a bit rush to be prepared, so better we don’t commit as it is also very expensive to send [a team]. We don’t want to give a bad example for the CNMI,” Largent said in an email to Saipan Tribune.

However, it is not yet known whether the CFGA would be slapped with fines by the Pacific Games Council for not participating despite submitting names for the golf event. Largent said although he did not know the entire rules of the PGC, he believes they won’t be fined since they informed NMSA earlier that they would no longer be competing.

“No fines. I don’t think so. My understanding is that Oct. 20 was the submission and we did not confirm, so everything is okay. But I don’t know what the overall rules are,” said Largent. “Oct. 20 was what I thought was the deadline as I remember. Nothing negative has been said back to me so I’m assuming everything is okay.”

NMSA president White is also not sure if the CFGA would incur fines from the PGC.

“Our golf team has decided not to participate,” he said.

Part III Protocol 7.9 of the Games Management Protocol under PGC’s charter states that “Pacific Games Association’s which do not finally participate in one or more of the sports on the Games finals program despite having entered numerical entries, will be liable to a financial penalty of $1,000 per sport, payable to the Pacific Games Council and transferred to the Organizing Committee if it can prove a financial loss arising from the withdrawal of PGAs from particular sports.”

With golf’s withdrawal, the CNMI is left to compete in athletics, 3×3 basketball, and weightlifting. Northern Marianas Rugy Union is also not joining the Mini Games after previously committing to send a team.

Zarinae Sapong, Beouch Ngirchongor, and Jamie Pangelinan will be representing Team Marianas in athletics, while Douglas Schmidt Jr., Dan Barcinas, Preston Basa, and Jack Lizama Jr. will play for the CNMI’s 3×3 men’s basketball team. Angel San Nicolas, Leonardo Apelo Jr., David Barnhoouse Jr., Raymond Santos, and Joseph Tudela are Commonwealth’s entries to the weightlifting competition