SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands—The Northern Marianas Sports Association wishes to inform the sporting community of Rota, Tinian, Saipan, and Guam that the Marianas Games 2026 is postponed until further notice following the damage caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku to the islands.

“The NMSA Board made a very difficult decision to postpone the Marianas Games 2026 until further notice, as we understand the need for everyone to focus on recovery efforts,” NMSA president Jerry Tan said.

The Marianas Games 2026 is supposed to take place on Saipan from June 19 to 21, 2026 with athletes scheduled to compete in athletics, badminton, baseball, 3x3 basketball, women’s fastpitch softball, golf, indoor volleyball, open water swim, va’a, and weightlifting.

“I know our sporting community is looking forward to the Marianas Games 2026. Please remain excited, keep that positive attitude as we navigate these challenges, together,” Tan said.

Majority of the events at the Marianas Games 2026 are set to be hosted at the Oleai Sports Complex, which took a hit from the Category 5 Typhoon that brought heavy rains and destructive winds for days. Last Sunday, the NMBA Board had a walk through at the facility and did an initial assessment of the damage.

The super typhoon ripped portions of the rubber surface of the track and field oval off, metal bleachers crumbled and tossed over, and some grandstand lights were shattered. The newly built bullpen at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field was brought down to the ground, while bleachers remained intact, but roofs are gone. The Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield was not spared from the wrath of the Sinlaku, as roofs were

ripped off and fence went down. The Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium lost a small portion of its roof and had a broken window at one of its two multi-purpose rooms, while water also went inside the facility. The canoes that the NMSA acquired during the hosting of the Pacific Mini Games in 2021, were safely housed at the Ada Gym and were spared from damage.

“Overall, the damage was not as extensive as what happened during Yutu in 2018. All our light poles are still standing. However, the safety of the Marianas Games 2026 participants is our top priority, so we can’t host this event under this condition. Recovery will take time and residents of all four islands will be busy in the coming months bouncing back from these difficult situations,” NMSA General Secretary John Hirsh said.

NMSA vice president Ramon Tebuteb, who joined Hirsh, Tan, NMSA directors John Davis, Alex Sablan, Merlie Tolentino, and Nick Gross, and Athletes Representative Angel San Nicolas at the site assessment over the weekend, is hoping that when national federations and their athletes and officials are done with cleanup at their homes, they could also assists in clearing up the typhoon debris at the OSC (PR).

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