Marianas Games postponed due to damages at Oleai Sports Complex

With the anticipated inaugural 2026 Marianas Games—set to unite Rota, Tinian, Saipan, and Guam in the spirit of sport across the Marianas this June—the event has been postponed due to the impact of Super Typhoon Sinlaku on Saipan’s main sporting hub, the Oleai Sports Complex.

Northern Marianas Sports Association president Jerry Tan said in an interview on Tuesday, April 21, that the board met on Sunday, April 19, and agreed to postpone the Games, hopefully to a later date this year. He added that the current priority for everyone is to focus on their homes.

Tan said officials in Guam, as well as the mayors of Tinian and Rota, have already been notified.

“We are going to postpone it to a later date. It’s just a three-day event, so hopefully we can find the right timing later this year and still hold the Marianas Games. We just don’t know when it will be ready,” he said.

The Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, which hosts basketball, badminton, wrestling, weightlifting, and other events, experienced flooding, a broken roof tile, a fallen air conditioning unit, and shattered windows. The Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field, which was being used for the 2026 Little League season, suffered damage to the bleachers, surrounding netting, and the newly built pitcher’s bullpen. The Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Softball Field, also used for the Little League season, sustained damage to its fence, bleachers, and press box, whose roof was blown off.

The track and field facility was heavily affected, with tears in the track surface caused by a large bleacher unit blown into the Saipan Mayor’s Office parking lot. The surrounding black fences were knocked down, the throwing area’s cage and netting collapsed, two soccer goalposts were displaced and broken, the steeplechase barrier was destroyed, and sand from the long jump area was blown away. Meanwhile, canoes belonging to the Northern Marianas National Paddle Sports Federation that were sheltered in the gym during the storm were undamaged.

Cleanup efforts began on Friday, April 17, as NMSA staff worked to clear debris from the facilities and parking lot. As of Tuesday, staff continued removing mats and canoes from inside the gym.

Tan said they are currently waiting for power and water services to be restored. As for reopening any part of the venues to the public, he said they will need to consult with each national federation. For the track and field facility, he noted that if power is restored and lighting fixtures are undamaged, it may be possible to reopen it for public use.

Regarding the cost of damages, Tan said they have not yet consulted with contractors. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet. We’re looking forward to the cost estimate for the repairs,” he said.

He added that once national federations have taken care of their homes, they may be able to assist with cleanup at the complex.