The Oleai Sports Complex track & field.
SAIPAN’S Oleai Sports Complex will be the venue for international badminton and track and field competitions in June 2023, Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan told a recent Marianas Visitors Authority general membership meeting.
“Because of the successful hosting of the Pacific Mini Games, and because of our newly renovated facility, we are able to attract major sports events — an addition to our sports tourism efforts in the industry,” said Tan who is also the CEO of Tan Holdings and co-chair of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers.
The Oceania Athletics Association has scheduled the Oceania Cup and Oceania Masters Championship event on Saipan for June 22 to 26, 2023.
For their part, Badminton Oceania and the Northern Marianas Badminton Association have scheduled back-to-back international tournaments sanctioned by the World Badminton Federation at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, one of the facilities of the Oleai Sports Complex.
The Northern Marianas Open 2023 will be held from June 6 to 11 while Saipan International 2023 is scheduled for June 13 to 18.
Tan said because of the CNMI’s natural beauty, “people choose our destination because they experience exactly what they see in our marketing ads…the clear water, the blue sky, white sand…and everything that goes with it.”
He added, “We…believe that the Marianas can be a world class destination.”
However, repairs and renovation are still needed at major tourist sites, he added.
“We really need to continue our effort not just to clean up, but to do repairs and upgrade our tourist sites, because visitors come here and see our broken rails and the damage from the typhoon, and it becomes a safety problem,” Tan said.
He said it would be hard to compete with other destinations that have already upgraded their sites and facilities.
Tan urged stakeholders to be more “aggressive” in implementing the work that is needed to be done at tourist sites.
MVA, for its part, has signed a one-year memorandum of understanding with the Korean Professional Baseball Players Association in Seoul, South Korea.
On Dec. 14, professional baseball players from South Korea conducted a training clinic with CNMI Little League players.
MVA said nearly 50 young players received training in throwing, grounding, batting, and defense from members of top professional teams in Korea, including SSG Landers, Keeum, LG Twins, and others.
“SSG Landers’ Kang-min Kim, 2022 MVP of the Korean Series, also participated. The clinic ended with an autograph and picture-taking session,” MVA added.
