The Northern Marianas remains hopeful it will one day joining the Olympic family.
CNMI will host the 2022 Pacific Mini Games. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago
The US territory tried to become an International Olympic Committee member in the late 1980s but their application was shelved by the IOC.
President of the Northern Marianas Sports Association (NMSA), Jerry Tan, said the CNMI was still determined to realise their Olympic dream.
"As as far as NMSA is concerned it's our ultimate goal and dream to see our athletes to be able to participate in the Olympics just like many of our Oceania brothers and sisters," he said.
Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan. Photo: Supplied
The CNMI is not the only Pacific Island nation seeking Olympic membership, with New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Tahiti, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna also aspiring to compete on the biggest stage in sport.
"Maybe everyone has a unique case. We are examining what happened in the late '80s because we did submit an application to IOC and for whatever reason I'm still trying to understand why we were not granted [membership]," Tan said.
He admitted that being granted membership in the IOC will be a difficult and complicated journey, especially since he himself is new at the helm of NMSA.
"We are reaching out to different stakeholders like people who were involved and in charge with (precursor to the NMSA, the) NMASA at that time.
"In fact, [we've been] talking to them directly not only reading the communication with their signature on it we're actually finding out from them a lot more [about] what exactly happened because the facts are important."
Northern Marianas Sports Association President Jerry Tan (c) with Oceania National Olympic Committee officials. Photo: Supplied
Jerry Tan said documents he's seen so far indicate that the CNMI applied for IOC membership before 1996, the year that the IOC changed its bylaws where only nations that are part of the United Nations can become a member of the Olympic family.
"This is important enough for our athletes that at least we owe it to them that we do as much as we can. Not to say that we didn't try."