The Pacific Games (French language: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continent multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2023 in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The Games were called the South Pacific Games from 1963 to 2007. The Pacific Games Council (PGC) organises the Games and oversees the host city's preparations. Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams. In each sporting event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals are awarded for second place, and bronze medals are awarded for third place.
Ten cities in seven countries and territories have hosted the Pacific Games. Four countries have hosted the games three times: Fiji (1963, 1979, 2003), New Caledonia (1966, 1987, 2011), Papua New Guinea (1969, 1991, 2015) and Samoa (1983, 2007, 2019). French Polynesia, who hosted in 1971 and 1995, will become the fifth country to host the Games for the third time in 2027. The United States territory of Guam have hosted the Games twice in 1975 and 1999. The Solomon Islands hosted the event for the first time in 2023.
Only six countries have attended every edition of the Pacific Games: Fiji, French Polynesia (Tahiti), New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu. New Caledonia have dominated fourteen out of the seventeen Pacific Games, Papua New Guinea with two, and Fiji with one.
As a residual consequence of the colonialism of the Pacific from the early part of the 18th Century onwards, many nations who participated in the first Games (of 1963) were under predominantly United Kingdom or France territorial rule. Understandably this generated a certain amount of confusion as both British and French flags and national anthems dominated proceedings and were occasionally used together for winning countries.
Western Samoa (now Samoa) was the only country with a flag and anthem of its sovereignty as it was the only participating independent island nation at that time. As time went on, fledgling nations gradually achieving sovereignty of their own sought to extricate themselves from their colonial past and new national anthems and flags emerged. Nevertheless, English and French remain the official languages of the Games.
Like other sporting events, the South Pacific Games has experienced slight controversies. A minor dispute that still continues today is the scheduling of events landing on a Sunday. Throughout the Pacific, the Christianity Sabbath remains very important (sporting events or similar activity are illegal in Tonga for example) and scheduling at such a time would be frowned upon. The events themselves have also been affected by religious sensitivities, notably beach volleyball where the official uniform of for women has been forced to give way to more conservative attire. Bikinis out, Shorts in at Beach Volleyball Pacific Radio News - Niue FM, 29 August 2007 However other larger nations within the region or those loosely associated with more secular states (e.g. Cook Islands (New Zealand), American Samoa (United States), and French Polynesia (France)) are more moderate in this regard.
Other global and regional events have also influenced and shaped the Games' history. In 1995, the year Papeete, Tahiti hosted the Games, many countries took the decision to boycott as a direct protest at French nuclear testing in the Pacific. French tests: Opposition grows , article summarising the response to French nuclear testing in the Pacific from World Information Service on Energy retrieved 19 February 2007 The Games, however, returned to near full regional participation in the following event in 1999, held on Guam.
The first objective of the Pacific Games Council, according to its Charter, is
"To create bonds of kindred friendship and brotherhood amongst people of the countries of the Pacific region through sporting exchange without any distinctions as to race, religion or politics."The Games were initiated to promote and develop sport amongst the nations and peoples of the South Pacific. After fifty years in existence, The South Pacific Commission changed its name to the Pacific Community.
A strong corporate sponsorship package a first for the games enabled the organizers to work with a free hand towards their aims of making the games a success. A colorful and effective media and publicity campaign generated much interest and enthusiasm among the public in Fiji. Schools and youth groups were involved in interactive programs such as the adopt-a-country program also a first for the games.
The XIII Pacific Games were hosted in Apia, Samoa. They were the 13th to have been held since 1963. In contrast to the Olympic Games which are expected to generate income for the host nation, the 2007 Pacific Games were expected to leave Samoa US$92million in debt, predominantly as a result of expenditure on large-scale infrastructure projects such as bridges and roads.
Potential debt positions notwithstanding, five nations (Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga and American Samoa) bid for the 2015 Pacific Games. The Games were ultimately awarded to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and follow the 2011 Pacific Games held in Nouméa, New Caledonia. However the rising cost (purportedly in excess of $1 billion) and the logistical burden of putting on the games continue to threaten countries' abilities to host the event.
The current President of the Council is Vidhya Lakhan from Fiji.
In July 2014, the Oceania National Olympic Committees voted to allow Australia and New Zealand to take part in the 2015 Pacific Games. The risk of seeing the two wealthy, populous developed nations dominate the competition had previously prevented their inclusion. They were allowed to send participants only in rugby sevens, sailing, taekwondo and weightlifting — sports where other Pacific countries had proved sufficiently competitive against them in the past. New Zealand was allowed to compete in the 2019 men's football competition with an U-23 team, which won the gold medal. Australia and New Zealand have since continued to compete on an invitational basis.
In 2018, the Council created an "associate membership" category for other territories in Oceania. Potential candidates for membership include Bougainville, Easter Island, Western New Guinea, Hawaii and Christmas Island.
American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) | asnoc.org/ | |
Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) | oceaniasport.com/cookis | |
Federated States of Micronesia National Olympic Committee (FSMNOC) | oceaniasport.com/fsm | |
Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) | fijiolympiccommittee.com | |
Guam National Olympic Committee (GNOC) | oceaniasport.com/guam | |
Kiribati National Olympic Committee (KNOC) | oceaniasport.com/kiribati | |
Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee (MINOC) | oceaniasport.com/marshalls | |
Nauru Olympic Committee | oceaniasport.com/nauru | |
New Caledonia | Comité Territorial Olympique et Sportif de Nouvelle-Calédonie (CTOS) | www.ctos.nc |
Niue Island Sports and Commonwealth Games Association (NISCGA) | oceaniasport.com/niue | |
Norfolk Island Amateur Sports & Commonwealth Games Association | sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?assoc=3852 | |
Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association | sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?assoc=3859 | |
Palau National Olympic Committee (PNOC) | oceaniasport.com/palau | |
oceaniasport.com/png | ||
Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC) | oceaniasport.com/samoa | |
Solomon Islands National Olympic Committee (NOCSI) | oceaniasport.com/solomon | |
Comité olympique de Polynésie française (COPF) | www.copftahiti.com | |
Tokelau Sports Federation | sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?assoc=3861 | |
Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee (TASANOC) | oceaniasport.com/tonga | |
Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (TASNOC) | oceaniasport.com/tuvalu | |
Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (VASANOC) | oceaniasport.com/vanuatu | |
Comité Territorial Olympique et Sportif des Iles Wallis et Futuna (CTOSWF) | wallisetfutuna.franceolympique.com |
+Overview of the Pacific Games ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Year ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Edition ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Host city ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Host Association ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Opened by ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Sports ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Events ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Teams ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Start date ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | End date ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Competitors ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Top Association ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;" | Ref |
1963 | Suva | Fiji | Sir Kenneth Maddocks | 13 | 29 Aug. | 646 | Fiji | ||||||
1966 | Nouméa | New Caledonia | Unknown | 14 | 8 Dec. | 1200 | New Caledonia | ||||||
1969 | Port Moresby | Papua New Guinea | Prince Edward | 12 | 1150 | New Caledonia | |||||||
1971 | Papeete | French Polynesia | Pierre Messmer | 14 | 25 Aug. | 2000 | New Caledonia | ||||||
1975 | Tamuning | Ricardo Bordallo | 13 | 1 Aug. | 1205 | New Caledonia | |||||||
1979 | Suva | Unknown | 19 | 28 Aug. | 2672 | New Caledonia | |||||||
1983 | Apia | Samoa | 13 | 5 Sep. | 2500 | New Caledonia | |||||||
1987 | Nouméa | New Caledonia | Unknown | 12 | 8 Dec. | 1650 | New Caledonia | ||||||
1991 | Prince Andrew | 16 | 7 Sep. | 2000 | |||||||||
1995 | Papeete | French Polynesia | Unknown | 12 | 25 Aug. | 2000 | New Caledonia | ||||||
1999 | Santa Rita | Unknown | 21 | 29 May | 3000+ | New Caledonia | |||||||
2003 | Suva | Josefa Iloilo | 22 | 28 Jun. | 5000 | New Caledonia | |||||||
2007 | Apia | Tufuga Efi | 22 | 25 Aug. | 5000 | New Caledonia | |||||||
2011 | Nouméa | New Caledonia | Nicolas Sarkozy | 22 | 27 Aug. | 4300 | New Caledonia | ||||||
2015 | Port Moresby | Prince Andrew | 24 | 4 Jul. | 3700 | ||||||||
2019 | Apia | Va'aletoa Sualauvi II | 24 | 7 Jul. | 3500 | New Caledonia | |||||||
2023 | Honiara | Manasseh Sogavare | 24 | 19 Nov. | 5000 | New Caledonia | |||||||
2027 | Pirae | TBA | 24 | 24 Jul. | TBD | ||||||||
2031 | Nuku'alofa | TBA | 24 | ''TBD |
Details for each core sport, up to and including the 2023 games, are presented in the table below:
Archery | 8 times | 1971–1975, 1995, 2003–2011, 2019–present | ||
Athletics | All | 1963–present | ||
Basketball | (5x5) | All | 1963–present | |
(3x3) | 2 times | 2019–present | ||
Boxing | All | 1963–present | ||
Football | 16 times | 1963–1995, 2003–present | ||
Golf | 15 times | 1969–present | ||
Judo | 12 times | 1969–1979, 1987, 1995–2011, 2019–present | ||
Outrigger canoeing | 8 times | 1995–present | ||
Rugby sevens | 7 times | 1999–present | ||
Sailing | 14 times | 1969–1979, 1987–present | ||
Swimming | 16 times | 1963–1979, 1987–present | ||
Table tennis | All | 1963–present | ||
Taekwondo | 8 times | 1995–present | ||
Tennis | All | 1963–present | ||
Triathlon | 8 times | 1995–present | ||
Volleyball | (indoor) | All | 1963–present | |
(beach) | 7 times | 1999–present | ||
Weightlifting | 16 times | 1966–present | ||
Badminton | 4 times | 2003–2011, 2019 | ||
Baseball | 4 times | 1999–2011 | ||
Billiards | Never | N/A | ||
Bodybuilding | 6 times | 1995, 2003–2015, 2023 | ||
Cricket | 8 times | 1979, 1987–1991, 2003–2019 | ||
Cycling | 5 times | 1966, 1971–1975, 1987, 1995 | ||
Field hockey | 5 times | 1979, 2003–2007, 2015, 2023 | ||
Handball | Never | N/A | ||
Karate | 6 times | 1995–2003, 2011–2015, 2023 | ||
Lawn bowls | 7 times | 1979, 1983, 1991, 2003–2007, 2015–2019 | ||
Netball | 13 times | 1963–1969, 1979–1983, 1991–2007, 2015–2023 | ||
Powerlifting | 7 times | 1995, 2003–present | ||
Rugby league nines | 4 times | 2007, 2015–2023 | ||
Shooting | 7 times | 1987, 1995, 2003–2019 | ||
Snooker | Never | N/A | ||
Softball | 6 times | 1969–1975, 1991, 2007, 2015 | ||
Squash | 9 times | 1979–1991, 2003–2019 | ||
Surfing | 4 times | 1995, 2003–2011 | ||
Touch rugby | 5 times | 2003–2007, 2015–2023 | ||
Wrestling | 2 times | 1999, 2007 | ||
Rugby union | 9 times | 1963–1971, 1979–1995 | ||
Underwater fishing | 4 times | 1971–1975, 1995–1999 |
Also included at the 2009 Pacific Mini Games was rugby league 7s (now replaced by rugby league 9s).
Notes:
The 3x3 format was added as an extra discipline for basketball in 2019 after being included at the Mini Games in 2017.
Volleyball and beach volleyball disciplines have been listed as one sport for the purposes of the Games program since some time after the bids for the XV Games (in conjunction with the maximum number of sports being reduced from 28 to 26 for the XVI Games).
Netball is a women's competition only.
Touch rugby is an optional sport but men's, women's and mixed tournaments must be included if touch rugby is selected.
*Note : Nation(s) in italics no longer participate at the Pacific Games.
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