Micro Games Kick Off July 20 GUAM, Micronesia (Pacific Daily News, Apr. 27, 2014) — The Micronesian state of Pohnpei will host the 8th Micronesian Games, which kick off with opening ceremonies in Kolonia on July 20 and run through July 30. Joining Guam in the competition will be Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kosrae, host Pohnpei, Chuuk, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Yap, Palau and Nauru. Only Palau and Pohnpei are expected to have larger contingents at the games than Guam, with the three, along with the Northern Marianas, being clear frontrunners for the medal leads. My guess would be that since World War II there havent been this many people here, said Bob Spegal, chief executive officer of the 8th Micro Games Organizing Committee. More than 1,600 athletes and close to 1,000 fans are expected on the island, which has a population of around 36,000, Spegal said. It will be the second Micro Games to be held in Pohnpei; the first since 2002. One of the four Federated States of Micronesia, Pohnpei was selected by the Micro Games Council and had its bid announced during the closing ceremonies of the 7th Micronesian Games in Palau. Many of the facilities used in the last games will be utilized again, including a refurbished pool and track and field complex that is in the process of being re-constructed and resurfaced. Last time, we cut a lot of corners. This time it will be a track that will last, Spegal said. Everything else will be pretty much the same. The fast-pitch softball field, Spanish Wall Ballfield, is one of the oldest operating fields in the world. Parts of the outfield wall date back to Fort Alfonso XIII, which was built in 1887, according to Spegal. Basketball, weightlifting, table tennis and wrestling will be held in the College of Micronesia National Gym, as they were in 2002. The arena has been upgraded with new floors, lights, windows and a sound system, largely funded by a donation of $200,000 from the Chinese government, Spegal said. New to the games this year is mens soccer, with Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap and Palau all scheduled to participate. Kirabati and Kosrae also are considering sending teams. The matches will be played at the College of Micronesia campus on a newly constructed field, paid for with a $120,000 grant from the Japanese government, Spegal said. Australia chipped in as well, helping to contribute a new dishwasher that will be used at the athletes village and new backboards for the basketball court. The village will house 1,400 competitors from all of the delegations except Pohnpei and Guam. The hosts athletes will stay in their own homes and Team Guam will primarily stay in hotel rooms booked by organizers from their own sports. Athletes staying in the village will be housed in high school classrooms without air conditioning and served meals during three designated periods throughout the day. To feed all the competitors, coaches, managers and volunteers for two weeks, organizers have placed orders for 13,400 pounds of rice, 7,700 pounds of chicken and 1,300 pounds of pork, Spegal said. Participants in any of the competitions at the college will stay in dorms and eat in the cafeteria there during the duration of their sports competition. Event schedules arent complete, but most are expected to wrap up in the early evening. Because athletes wont have access to TV or other entertainment in their rooms in the village, the Micro Games organizers will schedule local entertainment—bands, dancers and other performers—to visit the village each night. Most of the competitions will be held within walking distance of the village, but some are a good distance away. Spear fishing, for instance, will be held during the first two days of the games on a different island, Ant Atoll, because the waters are better for the sport. To get around, all of the delegations will be given a bus and a large van to use during the games. There also will be a shuttle running between Kolonia, where most of the action in the games will occur, and Palikir, the capital of FSM and site of basketball, wrestling, weightlifting and table tennis. Security will be provided by the Pohnpei State Police, and Pohnpei also is providing a medical presence at all events. Officials and referees for the Micro Games will come from several national Olympic committees from around the world. The magnitude of the event will make traveling to and staying in Pohnpei during the games a hot ticket. All the flights and hotel rooms were full in 2002 and Spegal said he expects the same this time. If people are planning to come, they should make arrangements as soon as possible, Spegal said. It looks as though all of the (hotel) rooms are taken. ... What were doing now is announcing to the local public that if they have a room they want to rent, that can be done. Fans who cant come to the games will still have viewing options. Some of the events will be streamed online or broadcast live each day. The organizers hope to have a program of video highlights that will be available worldwide. Results also will be posted on the events Fox Sports Pulse website. Updates leading up to the games can be found online at Facebook/8thMicroGames2014. As the opening ceremonies draw nearer, the completion of venue refurbishments gets closer and the pride of the hosts grows. Its a nice place, Spegal said. Itll be exciting.
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 08:26:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015