A PRESS conference on Monday kicked off the Crowne Plaza Marianas Open 2024 and the Dove Saipan International 2024 — two international badminton tournaments that will be hosted by the Northern Mariana Islands.
Held at Crowne Plaza Resort, the press conference was conducted by sports officials, sponsors and players. These included Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan, D&Q Resident Manager Max Kretzers, Badminton Oceania CEO Julie Carrel, Northern Marianas Badminton Association President Merlie Tolentino, Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan Resort Manager Martin Jambor, players Nate Guerrero of the NMI, Riko Gunji of Japan, Kim Hye Jeong of Korea, Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka and Edward Lau of New Zealand.
Last year, the NMI hosted the Crowne Plaza Marianas Open 2023 and TakeCare Saipan International 2023 — two qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“Every time we host a tournament, we get more and more people. We have seen significant growth in badminton here in the NMI,” said Badminton Oceania CEO Carrel as she congratulates the Northern Marianas Badminton Association for the sport’s growth in the NMI.
Tolentino, for her part, said, “We are always honored and grateful to be given this opportunity to host international badminton tournaments. We thank the players for considering the NMI in your international ranking tournaments. We always treat these events as important moments…and are happy to see different badminton players from different countries.”
Tan, Kretzers and Jambor also thanked the sponsors and wished good luck to the participating players.
New Zealand’s Lau said, “I’m very excited to be here. I’m looking forward to experiencing tournaments outside the region.”
Asked what advice he could give to up-and-coming players, said: “Discipline — be consistent with training, as well as off-ball training such as strength and conditioning.”
The NMI’s Guerrero, who is also vice president of NMBA, acknowledged the teamwork that led to the phenomenal growth of badminton in the NMI. “It’s really a team effort from the NMBA in pushing the sport of badminton. It’s always great and nice to see visitors from other countries and even more so that it’s for the sport of badminton. It means a lot to play in front of a home crowd. I’m very honored and grateful for the opportunity,” he said.
Sports tourism
“It’s not a secret that tourism isn’t really moving in the NMI at the moment,” Crowne Plaza Resort’s Jambor said. “But we are grateful to host such a tournament. I’ve been here for 10 years, and I consider this my second home. This is wonderful PR. We have been hosting a lot of international tournaments and it puts Saipan and NMI on the map. It is very important, and Crowne Plaza Saipan will always support it,” he added.
The Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 will begin today, Tuesday, and end Sunday. It will be followed by the Dove Saipan International 2024, which is set for July 9-14. Both tournaments will be held at the Ada gym.
Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan, D&Q Resident Manager Max Kretzers, Badminton Oceania CEO Julie Carrel, Edward Lau of New Zealand, Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka, Kim Hye Jeong of Korea, Riko Gunji of Japan, Northern Marianas Badminton Association President Merlie Tolentino, Nate Guerrero of the CNMI, and Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan Resort Manager Martin Jambor pose for a photo after a press conference to discuss the Crowne Plaza Marianas Open 2024 and the Dove Saipan International 2024 badminton tournaments in the Azucena Hall of Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan on Monday.
Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan Resort Manager Martin Jambor, center, talks about sports tourism.
Badminton player Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka, 2nd left, shares a few words.
