Tan, White head Mini Games committees

Preparations for the CNMI’s hosting of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games are moving forward as two sports officials were named to lead key committees.

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association and Northern Marianas Badminton Association president Jerry Tan was elected chair of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games Oversight Committee, while Northern Marianas Sports Association head Michael White was selected to lead the Organizing Committee of the Games.

Tan, who is also the president of Tan Holdings, and White were named to the crucial positions following the organizational meeting of the Oversight Committee last Jan. 13 at the Governor’s Office in Capital Hill. Joining Tan on the committee after being appointed by the late Gov. Eloy Inos were special assistant to the Governor for the Office of Management and Budget Virginia Villagomez, Department Public Works secretary James Ada, and Bank of Guam vice president, and manager Merced Tomokane. Completing the group are White, NMSA vice president Kurt Barnes and secretary general Rose Igitol, who were appointed by the Commonwealth’s governing sports body, and Pacific Games Council president Vidhya Lakhan.

The Oversight Committee, according to a press release from NMSA, will oversee the good governance, accountability, and transparency of the Organizing Committee for the 2021 Pacific Mini Games, which will be held on Saipan. The group will also receive reports from the Organizing Committee and brief the stakeholders of the Games, including the governor. The Oversight Committee, which was formed in October 2015, will meet again in April this year to get updates about the preparation for the Mini Games.

As for the Organizing Committee, the Oversight Committee has already reviewed and approved the organizational chart of the Mini Games and White said the NMSA board is looking for individuals who will chair various committees.

“The NMSA Board is meeting this evening (yesterday). I intend to ask the Board for permission to solicit expressions of interest from people interested in chairing committees. When these are received, I will suggest committee chairs for the Board’s consideration,” White said in an email to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The 2021 Mini Games, which will be played for two weeks in June, will feature 12 sports, namely: wrestling, weightlifting, triathlon, swimming, sailing, baseball, va’a (canoe racing), volleyball (beach and indoor), badminton, athletics, golf, and tennis.

The Mini Games will come to Saipan for the first time after the CNMI won the hosting rights in 2014. Vanuatu will host the 2017 competition after beating the Commonwealth in the second round of selection.


This article was originally authored by Roselyn Monroyo of the Saipan Tribune and published on January 21, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

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