International badminton returns for 4th straight summer

It’s going to be another badminton-filled summer as despite ongoing recovery from Super Typhoon Sinlaku, Saipan will still host three international badminton tournaments for the fourth year in a row.

The Northern Marianas Badminton Association and Badminton Oceania confirmed that the YONEX Northern Marianas Open 2026, CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International 2026, and CROWNE PLAZA Oceania Masters in Paradise 2026 will take place in July and August at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as originally scheduled.

The YONEX Northern Marianas Open runs from July 14-19, followed by the CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International from July 21-25, and the CROWNE PLAZA Oceania Masters in Paradise from July 29 to Aug. 4.

The tournaments mark the fourth straight year Saipan has hosted international badminton competitions, with players from more than 10 countries expected to take part. Entries continue to come in for the two Grade Three events, which offer BWF World Ranking points.

While preparations are now moving forward, NMBA president Merlie Tolentino said there was a time when hosting this year’s tournaments seemed unlikely.

She told Marianas Press, "While we are still in the middle of typhoon recovery, we honestly did not expect that we would still be able to host this year because of the many challenges we faced. Ada Gym was occupied and being used as a temporary shelter after the typhoon, and fortunately it was vacated at the end of May, which allowed us to move forward with preparations."

When asked about community excitement for the tournament’s return, she said, "This year marks our 4th year hosting the tournament, and seeing all the entries and players from different parts of the world signing up makes us very proud and happy. NMBA is excited to once again bring not only great badminton competition, but also excitement to the island and the opportunity to welcome tourists back to Saipan."

She also encouraged the community to support the event once competition begins. "We hope our community will come out and support the event by watching the games and cheering for all the athletes."

Tolentino then thanked the organizations and businesses that helped make the tournaments possible. "I would also like to sincerely thank our title sponsors, Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan and Yonex, as well as the Northern Marianas Sports Association for allowing us to use Ada Gym. We are also very grateful to all our other business sponsors and supporters whose generosity and partnership helped make this tournament possible once again."

Locally, NMBA is calling on CNMI players to represent in any or all of the three tournaments. For more information, contact Janelle Pangilinan at (670) 783-2813 or Christy Villaflor at (670) 789-9192.