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Mini Games hosting contract awaits Torres’ signature
Pacific Mini Games president Vidhya Lakhan, fourth left, and chief executive officer Andrew Minogue, sixth left, pose for a photo with members of the CNMI Legislature and Northern Marianas Sports Association officials after meeting with the lawmakers yesterday on Capitol Hill. (Contributed Photo)
The host agreement between the CNMI and the Pacific Games Council for the staging of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games on Saipan is done and just waiting for signatories.
PGC president Vidhya Lakhan and chief executive officer Andrew Minogue met with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres twice yesterday to discuss some details of the contract, which was later handed over to the Office of the Attorney General for review.
“The AG needs to vet the document first,” said Minogue, who is expecting the contract to be signed today.
Details of the agreement was not disclosed to the media, but Minogue, during an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday afternoon, said majority of the information on the contract are in the same proposal the PGC presented to the CNMI through the Northern Marianas Sports Association in April. This includes staggered payments of funding for the quadrennial competition.
The 2021 Mini Games budget is pegged at $3 million with the host government shouldering over $2 million and the rest to be covered by fees that will be charged to the athletes and officials of the participating countries. Sponsorships and support from private companies can also be used to fund the CNMI’s hosting of the Mini Games for the first time. The regional competition will feature six sports (athletics, baseball, badminton, beach volleyball, golf, and triathlon) for now, but a few more could be added, pending availability of funds and logistics.
“The Games are going to be fine here. Everyone seems to be on board. We are committed to bringing the Games here and you are committed to host it,” said Minogue, who along with Lakhan met with some members and officials of the CNMI Legislature to discuss funding concerns for the Games.
“They gave us a very good hearing today (yesterday). We’ve met with them before, but this was the first time that the president and I noticed that they really want the Games. They know what they have to do. They know it will cost money to have the Games here and they want to make it (funding the event) a priority,” the PGC official said.
