From left, Kevin Cordón of Guatemala, Gronya Somerville of Australia, Son Won Ho of South Korea and Janelle Pangilinan of the NMI. Pangilinan had a taste of what an international-level competition feels like after watching and playing against the best in the Oceania region during the recently held Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open and TakeCare Saipan International, which were qualifying events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “Honestly I’d say it’s a great opportunity for the NMI, especially for our players,” she said. “From playing against Guam to the regionals and Oceania and now, getting this experience of playing at an international level, is definitely a memory that the NMI and our players will never forget,” Pangilinan added. “I hope that it will encourage others — especially the youth — to develop badminton in the NMI and get that Olympic title or just to play in it one day. It would be a great opportunity to watch all these athletes live instead of watching from a YouTube channel.”
