Tag Archives: CNMI

Tan, White head Mini Games committees

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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.

Building a Healthier CNMI One Sport at a time

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Monroyo, R. (2015, July-September). Building a Healthier CNMI One Sport at a time. TAGA Sports, 16-18.

Roselyn Monroyo – TAGA Sports Staff Writer
About 10 months ago, Kanoa Football Club goalie Amanda Agulto tipped the scales at 280lbs.
In May, during Jerry Tan’s birthday celebration marked by a fun run, a different Agulto showed up to volunteer for early morning race. She was 110 lbs lighter, which a much better grip on her personal health.
Tales like hers are what motivate Jerry Tan to be a staunch supporter of CNMI sports.

“I grew up playing and loving sports. Before, I love the competitive and fun sides of sports, but today it’s more than that. Today, I recognize the big impact of sports on our health. Especially among our children,” Tan said.

“We must admit that in Micronesia, we have a lot of unhealthy and sick people and we can avoid these conditions by helping build a healthier young generation. People who learn sports at a young age and continue to play as an adult are likely to have a healthier, more enjoyable, and longer life. The more sports I lead or support, the more kids I will influence to get involved in sports and live a more active lifestyle.”

Tan is president of the Saipan Bowling Association, Northern Marianas Badminton Association, and Northern Mariana Island Football Association and backs a host of other Sports to the Commonwealth.

Under his leadership, both SBA and NMBA hold various tournaments that cater to its young and old members. NMBA even hosts summer camps for U6 to U18 age groups and is in the process of working with the Public School System and the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization on having a regular badminton tournament for high school students.

NMIFA, however, is undoubtedly the most successful—ln terms of attracting membership—among the three groups that Tan handles. From just about 100 players when the association was established in 2005, membership is now around L600 and majority of them are in the youth age group. Players compete for two seasons in a year besides other special tournaments. While camps and other grassroots programs are being implemented regularly.
“The growth of bowling and badminton is limited because of the playing venue. They have to be played in an indoor facility and we all know we have limited ones. Unlike in soccer, you can play in a lot of places and you can always tailor or adjust the rules and regulations based on the needs of a specific age group so It is easier tor NMIFA to attract more players,” said Tan, who has also brought the sports culture to his Tan Holdings employees by hosting different company competitions.

Inspiration and support group
Since Tan made known his special interest in football, it was not surprising to learn that he draws his leadership inspiration from one of the most admired men in the football world — Sir Alex Ferguson, the former manager of Manchester United.

“I and my brother Raymond have looked up to Sir Alex. We study him, are inspired by him, and learn from him. He was the manager of Manchester United for nearly 27 years. Most managers from big football teams do not last more than three years, no matter how good they are. But Sir Alex handled the team for about 27 years. We admire that longevity as far as managing a very popular club is concerned! Tan said.

Sir Alex called the shots for Manchester United from November 1986 to May 8, 2013.

“Only a manager like Sir Alex could take that big responsibility for a long period of time. He is disciplined and knew how to strategize and assemble a team that can work together, even though the squad has a bunch of superstars. Those characteristics are what l am trying to learn and apply when leading the different sports groups in the CNMI and our company.” the Tan Holdings president said.

Tan acknowledges the difficulty of wearing many hats but, with good people surrounding him, he is able to pull it through.

“Besides leading the three sports groups I also have a big responsibility handling our businesses and sewing as an official of [the Marianas Visitors Authority] and other local associations I have a lot of workload but l am very lucky that through the years I am surrounded with good people who help me get the job done. Much credit goes to them,” he said.

“I try my best to lead, but I must admit a lot of work are being done and executed by the people who are working with me, be it on the sports or business side,” Tan added.

Olympic dream

Tan has watched the Commonwealth compete in different regional and international sports tournaments but there is one that remains elusive fur the islands’ athletes—the Olympic Games.

“I don’t know if I will call it a goal or dream, but one day I will be very proud to sew an athlete from any sport who will represent the CNMI in the Olympic Games.” Tan said.

The CNMI is one of the few countries that is not part of the Olympic family because of its political affiliation with the United States. Exclusion from the powerful Olympic group not only denies the Commonwealth athletes a rare chance to compete in the quadrennial meet, but also funding and other resources that could help athletes and officials develop their skills and be at the same level as their counterparts in the region.

Moves had been made in the past to seek membership in the Olympic family, to no avail. This year. Tan said that necessary steps are again being carefully taken to help realize the CNMI’s Olympic dream.

While waiting and working for the CNMI’s inclusion to the elite group, Tan encourages athletes to keep playing and vows to continue assisting the CNMI sports community.

“It will make me happy to see young kids running, smiling, and sweating while playing me sports they love. That’s the best form of gratitude l could receive for being at sports supporter.”