BEST games ever.
That’s the feedback the 2022 Pacific Mini Games Organizing Committee heard after the nine-day regional event, not only from the local residents but also from the visiting participants and guests, Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan said.
On Thursday evening he joined Gov. Ralph DLG Torres in rewarding the members of Team NMI at Kensington Hotel Saipan.
Tan said he kept hearing “best games ever” from everyone at the games venues.
“That is very important for us as host,” he said as he asked everyone to give the athletes and the organizing committee [led by its chairman Marco Peter and chief executive officer Vicente “Ben” Babauta] a big round of applause. They worked day and night for months in preparation for this major sports event, Tan said, adding that all those involved “delivered perfectly.”
Tan noted that visiting sports officials had acknowledged that it was a very difficult time to organize a regional sports event amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“But what makes it even more perfect and sweeter is the performance of Team NMI,” Tan said. The NMI ranked No. 3 overall in the medal tally with a total of 38 medals, 16 gold, 13 silver and 9 bronze.
“We medaled in all the nine sports events,” Tan added.
The NMI athletes have “outperformed” all the previous NMI teams that participated in the Mini Games over the last 30 years.
In the previous Mini Games, held in 2017 in Vanuatu, the NMI won one medal only, a bronze in weightlifting.
Incentives
In his remarks, Gov. Torres told the athletes that they have shown their best in representing the CNMI, which has now reached a new level in sports.
He rewarded the gold medal winners $6,000 each; silver medal winners, $3,500 each; and bronze medal winners, $2,000 each. The athletes who reached the quarter and semifinal rounds received $750 each while the rest who competed in the games received $500 each. The coaches and managers received $3,000 each.
Team NMI consisted of 124 athletes, 27 coaches, team managers and assistant coaches.
For those who competed in the Pacific Mini Games, the governor awarded a total of $449,000.
The governor also awarded a total of $50,450 to the NMI basketball team, which participated in FIBA events, and the swimmers and track athletes who competed in Oceania events.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, second right, and First Lady Dianne Torres, right, with members of the NMI baseball team.
The NMI badminton team members with their awards.
The members of the NMI’s athletics team hold their awards.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres speaks to the members of Team NMI during the awards banquet at Kensington Hotel Saipan on Thursday night.
