Docomo noses out Mawati in OT

Docomo Pacific players and their muse pose for a photo during the opening ceremony for the Tsingtao Beer-sponsored 2019 One Pacific Promotional Basketball League last month at the Civic Center Court in Susupe. (Contributed Photo)

The Northern Marianas Sports Association and Pacific Games Council are open to the possibility of adding a couple more sports in the 2021 Pacific Mini Games, including tennis.

NMSA president Michael White, during its monthly meeting last Thursday at the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, said if funding is available, tennis and ocean swim may be added to the initial six sports (athletics, baseball, badminton, beach volleyball, golf, and triathlon) lined up for the quadrennial event that the CNMI will be hosting two years from now. Pacific Games Council chief executive officer Andrew Minogue at the conclusion of the XVI Pacific Games in Samoa also expressed hopes of of having more sports in the 2021 Mini Games, including swimming and weightlifting, which were omitted from the earlier list.

Originally, the Commonwealth proposed 12 sports when it won the hosting rights for the Mini Games. However, with the CNMI having financial challenges in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu and after repeated negotiations, it was agreed upon to bring the number down to six and cut the budget from $8 million to $3 million.

Unfortunately, tennis was not on the revised list. The announcement came just a few days before the Jeff Race-coached national tennis team won three gold medals and one silver in Samoa last month.

Race acknowledged it will be very challenging to add tennis on the list, but they will still try.

“We’re going to work to see if we can get it back in, but I know that there are some real obstacles to overcome. One is that it can’t be done without having the tennis courts at American Memorial Park resurfaced. That money would most likely have to come from the Park’s trust fund,” Race said.

“Two is that money would have to be found to stage the event. This could come from any combination of donations, sponsors and the government,” he added.

The CNMI Sports Hall of Famer added that tournament schedule is also a concern.

“We need to find a way to condense or adapt the tennis competition into fewer days. This could actually be the biggest hurdle as we just barely completed the Samoa tennis events in 15 days, while the 2021 Games is scheduled to take place over only one week. We’re considering some strategies to work towards that,” Race said.

The first day of the tennis competition in Samoa along with some playoff matches were rained-out, forcing players to have three to four games in a day. The CNMI’s Colin Sinclair played four matches in the final day and more than 10 in the last three days.

Race also said he understands the funding issues for the Mini Games, but we also have to look at the positive things that the sport and the improved facilities can bring to the community.

“I think that leaders in sports and government have to ask themselves if overcoming these obstacles is worth the benefits, which include motivating all of our young tennis players, including national team members, to keep striving even harder; bringing more people into a super healthy, fun and challenging activity; having our facilities needed to support this healthy sport that is promoting success in so many ways, upgraded; and last but not the least, bringing potentially the most medals to our home country in the 2021 Games,” Race said.

For the past years, tennis players have brought honors to the Commonwealth and several of them manage to continue their education through athletic scholarships. The presence of regular tennis tournaments in the CNMI has also provided our youth after-school activities and allowed them to compete in prestigious off-island events.

Meanwhile, Minogue said that although there is no timeframe to the final list of sports in the 2021 Mini Games, additions could be made next year during the PGC general assembly that will be held on Saipan.