By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

NORTHERN Marianas Amateur Sports Association president Michael A. White expressed disappointment over Micronesian Games Organizing Committee chairman Rex I. Palacios’ announcement saying that revenues from last year’s Micronesian Games will go to the government.
“I am disappointed that the chairman seems to want to put the interests of the government ahead of the interest of the people, the hard-working athletes, coaches and officials of Northern the Marianas,” White said in an email to the Variety yesterday.
In an interview with the Variety last Saturday, Palacios, after receiving criticism for not yet releasing the Micronesian Games report, said that “if there’s any left over from this event, not a single cent will go anywhere…but to the CNMI government because that was, in the first place, the reason the Games pushed through.”
NMASA was hoping to get a portion of the revenue to help send athletes to the Pacific Games in Samoa, next year.
“These games were awarded to NMASA, not to the government. International competitions in the CNMI have always been used to raise funds to assist our athletes, coaches and officials to travel to international competitions to represent the Commonwealth,” White said.
“Our athletes, coaches and officials are not paid. They do what they do for the love of their sport and for the glory of the CNMI. They do not deserve to be disrespected and dishonored,” he added.
White is also asking if the decision to give the revenue to the government was made by the chairman alone.
“Is this the chairman’s decision or did the organizing committee decide that? If it is the chairman’s own decision, and as far as I am aware, the organizing committee has never dealt with this issue, perhaps, the organizing committee should become involved,” White said.
Meanwhile, White said that he has yet to get a response from Governor Benigno R. Fitial or Senate Vice President Pete P. Reyes regarding NMASA’s request for financial assistance for the Samoa trip.
White in his letter to the governor and the senator said that athletes are having a hard time raising funds for the Pacific Games and they would appreciate it if the government could extend any financial help to them.
“The cost of our participation in the 2007 South Pacific Games in Samoa will be the highest ever. The high cost of participation has meant that our delegation will be the smallest in recent memory,” White said.
It will cost $3,200 to send one athlete to Samoa and the NMI is likely to send no more than 30 athletes, coaches and officials to the Games.
“Most of our athletes, coaches and officials are not rich. They are working people and just like everyone else, they have been hit hard by the economic changes which have affected our community in the past years,” the NMASA head said.
“They are already required to devote a substantial amount of their time and energy to training for the competition. It is perhaps too much to ask that they also be required to raise funds, or to use scarce personal funds, to defray the entire cost of their participation,” he added.
Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes in an email to the Variety confirmed that they had received the letter from White.
“Yes, I can confirm that we have received the letter from Mr. White. I’ve read it. I understand that the Governor has forwarded the correspondence to the Secretary of Finance, Mr. Eloy Inos, who is currently in Washington, DC. When he returns he will report on what financial assistance, if any, we might be able to provide for the Games, given our government’s financial predicament,” Reyes said.