GIFF JOHNSON
There are no more “tomorrows” — the Micronesian Games are here!
Athletes, coaches and officials are now living at the MIHS Micro Games Village, the Games food crew is turning out thousands of meals daily at the Village, and the RMI opening ceremony team is gearing for the big kickoff event this Saturday at 6pm at the Jenrok track and field.
Important developments this week:
- Micro Games Chairman/Minister Tony Muller reconfirmed: There is no charge to enter any Micro Games event. They are all free of charge.
- Nearly all of the 931 incoming athletes, coaches and officials are here already or will be arriving Friday and Saturday. They join over 200 RMI sports men and women at the MIHS Village. Close to 50 will arrive after the opening, from Sunday onward, timed to the schedule for specific sports or VIPs.
- Opening ceremony organizers updated the Journal: The Jenrok track site will be off-limits for general parking. Those interested to come to the opening ceremony, which starts at 6pm Saturday, are advised to park in the space between the old bowling alley and Payless, around the old capital building, and Delap Park and make use of the free bus service that will run to and from these locations to Jenrok from morning to the end of the ceremony. The free buses will pick up passengers at these parking locations and transport them to Jenrok.
- The basketball tournament, which has the most teams competing of all the sports in the Games, will launch the 3×3 segment of play Saturday-Monday at the ECC gym, with the championship 3×3 men and women’s games slated for the end of tournament. Five-on-five basketball starts Tuesday June 18 at the ECC. The RMI men’s team takes on Nauru in its first game Tuesday at 4:30pm and the RMI women challenge Chuuk at 7:30pm.
- According to the schedule on www.majol2024.com, the official Micro Games website: Indoor volleyball at MIHS gym starts Monday June 17; Athletics at the Jenrok track start Wednesday June 19; Tennis kicks off Thursday June 20 at the Jurelang Memorial Courts; Micro All-Around is scheduled for June 20-21; Softball starts Monday June 17; Spearfishing will be held June 18-19; Swimming is being held at Kwajalein starting June 17; Table tennis starts June 19 at the ICC; Weightlifting will be held June 17-18 at ICC; Wrestling will happen June 22-23 at the ICC; Beach wrestling is scheduled for June 24 at the Jenrok track.
- Chef de Mission for Marshall Islands Deborah Shoniber made her initial rounds in her capacity as the leader of the national team to the Micronesian Games Monday. Deborah flew in the day before following a family graduation at Xavier High School in Chuuk.
Deborah met different committee members at the International Conference Center Monday before visiting the Athletes Village at Marshall Islands High School.
- The person in charge of feeding all athletes, coaches and officials, Chef Jose Gaña, has been working since last week from the newly constructed cafeteria at the Micro Games Village inside Marshall Islands High School. Chef Jose was approached by Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee and had since used his culinary skills to work for the past two weeks. Prior construction has turned several classrooms into a fully functioning kitchen service area, including administration room and staff lounge. Jose was born in Majuro before relocating to Philippines at the age of three. He also lived in the US prior to his return home to Majuro.
“Being the chef for the Micro Games is my way of giving back to my community,” Jose told the Journal.
- The Micro Games organizers have rolled out a snazzy webpage loaded with everything you need to know about the Games. It includes a list for medals that will show totals for every island as the competition gets underway, currently has a schedule showing the days on which different sports will compete, and information on each sport, including rules. After technical meetings are held late this week for each sport and the schedule approved, the daily competition schedule for each sport is expected to be posted on the webpage. This is the official Micro Games information source: https://www.majol2024.com/
- RMI teams began moving into the Athletes Village Saturday and most slept at MIHS starting from Saturday. Food service, under the direction of Chef Jose Gaña, was launched Saturday night with a welcome event hosted by Micro Games Chairman Tony Muller and attended by President Hilda Heine and other VIPs.