Team Marianas athletes applaud Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan — not in photo — as he deliver his remarks during the Team Marianas send-off ceremony at the Ada gym on Monday. The local athletes are headed to Palau where they will see action in the Pacific Mini Games.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
“THE future of sports in the CNMI is bright,” said NMSA President Jerry Tan in his opening remarks during the Team Marianas send-off ceremony hosted by the Northern Marianas Sports Association on Monday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Compared to previous years, this year’s delegation is unique, Tan noted, as 40% of the athletes are under the age of 18 and 47% are women.
“Almost half of this group are women,” Tan continued. “One thing about sports is that it’s played by both men and women, but usually, it’s a lot easier to recruit boys and men. In our case, we’re just so happy to see that we only need three percent more to reach 50%. What does that mean? It means the future of sports in the CNMI is bright.”
Tan also emphasized that the CNMI has strong participation from women and high school students representing the islands in such an important event as the Mini Games.
