NMSA to discuss further PGC fines

The Northern Marianas Sports Association would discuss further the fines incurred by several member sports federations for their failure to participate in the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea after submitting a numerical entry.

The Northern Marianas Athletics, Northern Marianas Islands Volleyball Association, CNMI Bodybuilding Federation, Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association, and the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation are facing at least $2,000 in fines each.

Part III Protocol 7.9 of the Games Management Protocol under the 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 US$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.”

The PGC sent a billing to NMSA, which president Michael A. White read during the group’s monthly meeting last week.

NMITA, among the five sports associations, had the biggest fine with $4,000 for not sending a men’s and women’s teams. NMA, NMIVA, CBF, and NMITF were given $2,000 fines apiece.

NMITA president Jeff Race protested and said that he already sent information that they won’t be sending a tennis team to the 15th edition of the quadrennial sporting event prior to the deadline of the numerical entries.

Officials of the other NMSA member associations also protested the fines and White said he will take up the issue with the PGC.

“We will discuss more about this in our next meeting. We’re still looking into the matter,” said White.

In other news, the longtime NMSA chief clarified, in a story that came out in yesterday’s Saipan Tribune that they are planning to approach Bank of Hawaii to ask if there are any excess furniture that they would consider donating to the Commonwealth sports body.

White said Bank of Hawaii has not yet approached or told NMSA that they would be donating their furniture.

“I did not say that Bank of Hawaii had agreed to donate anything or was even considering donating anything. I stated simply that we were aware that the bank was downsizing and might have some excess furniture that we could use,” said White.

“And that we were going to approach the bank to ask them what they might have available and whether they might consider donating some excess furniture to us,” he ended.