(NMSA) — The Northern Marianas Sports Association has taken a significant step towards Team Marianas’ preparations for the 2027 Tahiti Pacific Games by working on a possible charter flight to the host country.
The NMSA has accepted a proposal from an airline company for the charter flight that would bring NMI athletes and officials for the 2027 Tahiti Pacific Games, which will run from July 24 to August 8, 2027. The proposed charter flight will utilize a B787-900 aircraft with 290-passenger capacity.
Having a charter flight would help Team Marianas bring more delegates to Tahiti and cut short the travel time significantly. Saipan to Tahiti is a long-haul flight with travel time estimated between 20 and 30 hours depending on number of layovers for a regular flight. For the charter, it would just be about 10 hours. The initial target number of NMI athletes and officials going to Tahiti is set at over 200 from 13 sports out of the 24 events that will be played in the Games in the summer of 2027.
“Every time Team Marianas participates in regional events such as the Pacific Games, and it’s hosted down South, travel is always a challenge and a critical part of our participation. We need athletes to be physically and mentally ready when they reach the host country, but it takes a toll on them to travel for extended hours with long layovers,” NMSA President Jerry Tan said. “With the charter flight, we would like to give them the shortest possible travel time, so they can recover faster, get acclimated, and be at their best form to compete and represent the NMI.”
Team Marianas first chartered a flight during the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands. Over 110 NMI athletes and officials went to Solomon Islands and brought home a record of 5 gold medals, 1 silver, and 7 bronzes.
