GIFF JOHNSON
As the dust settles on the Micronesian Games, and athletes revel in their medals or hope for better performances next time, there is one overriding sense from this 10-island competition: Island athletes, coaches and officials were happy to get back into this sub-regional competition after a Covid-extended six-year break since the last Games in Yap in 2018.
And in this regard, the best news is that the next Micro Games is only two years away, in order to get it back on the four-year schedule: Nauru will host the Games in 2026.
In Majuro, between March 15 and 24, the competition was tough and sometimes exhausting, while the Games allowed people to resume old friendships or make new ones that will extend across thousands of miles of ocean well beyond Monday’s closing.
The opening a week ago Saturday got the program launched in style, and from the basketball start to the beach wrestling end, the 10th Micro Games offered local residents 10 days of exciting sports competitions.
There were bumps here and there, the occasional power outage, and difficulty in the early days getting timely medal and daily competition results posted, but overall the operation of the Games was smooth. Most events benefited from a strong presence of technical officials from the relevant international federation who handled the competition side, while the National Olympic Committee-designated managers for each of the 13 sports could concentrate on all the other details to successfully roll out their sport.
My big takeaways from the Games:
- Nauru used these Games to show that it can no longer be typecast as a weightlifting-only nation. It won so many medals in track, basketball, beach volleyball, wrestling and other sports that other islands will need to pay close attention to our neighbors to the south.
- CNMI simply demolished everyone in swimming and tennis, and performed well in wrestling and other areas. In swimming, CNMI swimmers won 90 percent of all gold medals on offer. Their swimmers often won two of three medals per event on their way to winning 72 medals overall in swimming, over 60 percent of its overall medal total. It also had two strong wrestlers who won gold in their divisions. In addition, CNMI tennis players won gold in all seven competitions as well as picking up two additional bronze medals. CNMI targeted its sports and athletes strategically and came in at the top medals.
- The Marshall Islands was captivated by the way the women’s softball team demolished all the teams in the tournament on its way to the gold medal. Before the Games started, no one knew what to expect in softball. But the women delivered the gold. Women’s indoor volleyball was another big win for the RMI, as the ladies grabbed the gold medal, defeating Palau in a tough four-game match, 25-23, 13-25, 25-17 and 25-14 last Sunday.
And once again, RMI wrestlers and weightlifters delivered for the nation. On both days of wrestling, the RMI team of men and women were number one in the standings involving eight teams total. With beach wrestling included, wrestlers won 13 gold, nine silver and three bronze for a total of 25. While Nauru dominated the gold medals of weightlifting, the RMI team of men and women won 46 medals, including seven golds. Among the outstanding lifters, Mattie Sasser won three gold medals, and Merean Atantaake on the women’s side won one gold and two silver medals, while on the men’s side, Patterson River won two gold and one silver medal.
RMI swimmers performed well, with 18 medals, though their total was well below leaders CNMI and Palau.
Similarly, RMI men’s and women’s basketball teams each won a bronze medal in the five-on-five competition (as well as the women winning bronze in the 3×3 tournament). It was clear from the start that the Guam women’s team was both tall and superb, leaving all the women’s teams in the dust, including the RMI women in the semi-finals, 93-43, on their way to gold.
But after Chuuk nearly upset Guam men, losing by only four points (42-38) early in the tournament, all men’s teams eyed the opportunity to unseat Guam, which has won gold in men’s basketball in every Micronesian Games tournament. Next, Pohnpei nearly defeated Guam in pool play, also losing in the final seconds of the game, 42-39. Based on recent past Micro Games, where RMI men faced off against Guam in the gold medal game, many hoped to see a Guam-RMI rematch for gold. It was not to be. RMI men had to get past Pohnpei in the semi-final game and couldn’t overcome Pohnpei’s strategy that slowed the game, forcing RMI into a slower, half-court game rather than its preferred running game. The result: 74-69 for Pohnpei. Both RMI teams were able to win bronze, defeating teams they’d already beaten in pool play (Palau men and Pohnpei women).
- Overall the live-streams from all events that were set up for broadcast went well, except for the first couple of days at the Jenrok site. But by mid-last week, softball and track joined basketball, weightlifting, table tennis and wrestling in internet land.
There are many other things to say, and much is being said on social media and in parties and celebrations now that the Games are over. Despite early concern over RMI’s ability to host this massive sports event, the Marshall Islands delivered — both with its stellar facilities and in management of the competitions. And the best aspect of these Micro Games from the viewpoint of local residents is that the track and field and its new adjacent baseball field and covered basketball court, as well as the ECC gym and tennis courts will be available for ongoing use by local residents.
Onward and upward for the next Micro Games in Nauru in 2026.