ON Thursday, July 31, at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan laid out his vision of the CNMI becoming the largest delegation at the forthcoming 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti. He delivered his address during a recognition ceremony for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games athletes.
Tan said the goal is to send a 259-person delegation to the 2027 Pacific Games. Athletes would come from sports the CNMI is already active in, such as soccer, swimming, va’a, baseball, and more. The delegation would also include athletes from sports the CNMI currently participates in but needs more support to compete in at the regional level. These could include sailing, taekwondo, powerlifting, and others.
“We believe in you. We’re going to send the largest delegation to Tahiti in 2027,” Tan told the athletes. “This is what we’re going to start working on.”
Tan said he would send a solicitation letter to Air Tahiti this week to begin the process of securing a charter flight capable of carrying all delegates. The cost, he said, would range between $500,000 and $600,000. The CNMI needs to begin fundraising now, he told the athletes.
“We’re here to envision Tahiti. That’s why we asked Team Marianas to get ready. The next Pacific Games will be held exactly two years from now. We think two years is a long time away — it’s not,” he said.
Saying he believes in Team Marianas’ athletic ability, Tan pointed out how much the CNMI has grown in terms of podium success at both the Pacific Games and the Pacific Mini Games.
From 1981 to 2019, the CNMI sent a total of 492 delegates to either the Pacific Games or Pacific Mini Games, according to data Tan shared in a slide presentation. Over those 38 years, CNMI athletes brought home 12 gold, 24 silver, and 21 bronze medals.
In comparison, since 2022 — the year the CNMI hosted the Pacific Mini Games — the CNMI has sent 390 athletes to competition, yielding 31 gold, 21 silver, and 30 bronze medals.
The 161-person delegation sent to Palau this year was the largest the CNMI has ever sent to either the Pacific Games or the Pacific Mini Games. This year’s medal haul totaled 10 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze medals.
According to the data Tan presented:
Fiji, with a population of over 949,000, sent 184 delegates and earned 81 medals: 27 gold, 30 silver, and 24 bronze.
Tahiti, with a population of over 282,000, sent 180 delegates and won 72 gold, 41 silver, and 29 bronze.
Guam, with a population of over 128,000 and a delegation of 128, earned 4 gold, 9 silver, and 7 bronze — fewer than the CNMI.
“You tell me why we don’t think our athletes can’t compete,” Tan said. “This is a very, very high-level competition… That is the level of competition this Team Marianas went through across ten sports. Guess what? We brought home 31 medals against the best in the Pacific region.”
Tan emphasized that community support will be essential to making the 2027 goal a reality.
“We can compete as long as we believe in them. And because we have been believing in Team Marianas, this is what they’re able to deliver,” he said. “Most important for the NMSA board is to maximize the participation of Team Marianas. It’s never really about gold, silver, or bronze. Results will happen — they will happen. But we are a winner the minute we sent our first group out to Palau. That’s the beginning of what we are celebrating — being able to support. Because we believe in them, we support them, and we send them to compete.”
Jerry Tan, Northern Marianas Sports Association president, delivers an address to CNMI athletes and sports officials at the Ada gym on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan shares a slide showing the sports NMSA hopes to send athletes to for the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti.
