‘It’s time for Games to come to CNMI’

Pacific Games Council executive director Andrew Minogue poses with the banner of the council during a visit to the office of Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association president Michael White in Susupe yesterday. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Pacific Games Council executive director Andrew Minogue believes it’s time for the Mini Games to come to the CNMI.

Minogue, along with PGC president Vidhya Lakhan conducted a two-day (Monday and Tuesday) site visit to the sports facilities and accommodation on Saipan to assess the Commonwealth’s capability to host the 2021 edition of the quadrennial competition.

“We are very pleased with what we saw. The facilities are operational and are in good shape. There’s not a lot to do (concerning facilities) to stage the Games here,” Minogue said in an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The Commonwealth is proposing the Oleai Sports Complex as the main venue for the various competitions, while athletes will be housed at Marianas High School and Hopwood Junior High School. The CNMI is also offering 12 sports for the Mini Games and the list includes athletics, badminton, golf, tennis, canoe racing, volleyball (indoor and beach), baseball, sailing, swimming, triathlon, weightlifting, and wrestling.

After visiting the facilities for the Mini Games, Minoque and Lakhan talked with Northern Marianas Amateur Sports officials and Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider and the former said the meeting was fruitful.

“NMASA knows the process (hosting the Games) and it did a great job in preparing another bid after nearly winning in 2011,” Minogue said.
The CNMI lost to Vanuatu in the hosting battle for the 2017 Mini Games. The Commonwealth and Vanuatu got eight votes apiece in the first round of the selection held in New Caledonia three years ago and eliminated Nauru, which gained only six votes. In the second round, the CNMI received only nine votes versus the 13 of Vanuatu to fall short in its first bid to bring the Games to the Commonwealth.

“The CNMI through NMASA had a solid bid in 2011 and it drew a lot of support. Though it lost to Vanuatu, the CNMI sent a strong signal to other PGA members that the island is determined to host the Mini Games. This year several other countries showed interest in bidding for the 2021 Mini Games, but it was only the CNMI that eventually submitted a bid and that indicates it’s time for the Games to come to the CNMI,” said Minogue.

The PGC executive director added that the CNMI government’s support to the bid will be crucial in ensuring the success of the first-ever Mini Games to be held here.

“We met with the lieutenant governor and spelled out the obligation of the government in staging the Games here. Just like in 2011, the CNMI government is fully supportive of the bid. The government and NMASA will be working as partners in bringing a successful Mini Games in the CNMI. They will need to sign a contract with us (PGC) in July this year to make the hosting official,” Minoque said.

Before the contract signing, NMASA president Michael White said they will have to make a formal presentation of the CNMI bid to the council meeting in July at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.

“We will prepare for the formal presentation of our bid to the council at its meeting on July 4 and 5 in Port Moresby.  As we are the only bidder, we expect that the Games will be awarded to us. After the host country agreement is signed at the conclusion of the PGC meeting, we will form an organizing committee and start assigning responsibility for tasks which have to be addressed as early as possible,” White said.