“TOGETHER we can,” said Commonwealth Ports Authority Chairwoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds when asked about the success of the recently held Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022.
This was the first time the CNMI hosted the games that were held from June 17 to 25. Twenty countries and territories, and an estimated more than 600 athletes competed in nine sports: athletics, badminton, baseball, beach volleyball, golf, tennis, triathlon, va’a (canoe race) and weightlifting.
“That event was put together during one of the darkest periods in history not only just here locally but globally,” King-Hinds said.
“We are so isolated from the rest of the world, but we were able to pull it off,” she added.
“We were able to pull it off because we have people in this community who focused on a vision, basically putting everything aside and getting it done…that is what leadership is…at a time when people think that investing in bringing in people for the mini games was a waste of money…. It’s making those tough decisions, making that tough call…because now you have the CNMI exposed as having the ability to put together a large event like that…so together we can…we have to congratulate Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for his foresight and his vision,” King-Hinds said.
For her part, Marianas Visitors Authority Chairwoman Viola Alepuyo, said, “I had the privilege of going to different games, and also watching families, community members, who were not related, who did not know who the athletes were…but they opened their hearts, they opened their arms, for the first time in many months because unfortunately our community was very divided based on politics.”
Alepuyo said people put aside their differences and forgot that they are a part of a political party. “They remembered they are a part of this community…so we opened our minds, and I just wish that we can continue to do that…because we’ve shown what we could do it, and we succeeded.”
She added, “We had athletes who were crying because they did not believe that they felt the way they felt here…can you imagine if we did the same with every task that we have, to improve our community?”
On Saturday, July 2, King-Hinds and Alepuyo joined Gov. Torres, MVA officials, Alex Sablan of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers, and United Airlines Managing Director of Airport Operations for Asia Pacific Sam Shinohara at the Aqua Resort Club for a press conference on United Airlines’ upcoming Japan-Saipan flight service.
The $15 million allocation for Japan’s travel bubble program, which is scheduled to launch on Sept. 1, includes airline incentives, promotion and advertisement of the CNMI in Japan.
Kimberlyn King-Hinds
