Pacific Games

Pacific Games
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The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continental 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. Following the success of the Pacific Games, the PGC introduced a scaled-down version of the event, designed to allow smaller nations and territories to host and participate. This led to the establishment of the Pacific Mini Games.

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 leads the all-time medal count for the Pacific Games, and has topped the medal table on 14 separate occasions—followed by the Papua New Guinea (two times), and Fiji (once).

The concept of establishing the South Pacific Games was first proposed by Dr. A.H. Sahu Khan, a representative of Fiji at a 1959 South Pacific Commission (SPC) meeting held in Rabaul. The idea gained support, resulting in a gathering of nine territories in Nouméa in March 1961, where Fiji was chosen to host the inaugural Games.^[1]

In 1962, the SPC formed the South Pacific Games Council, which was later renamed the Pacific Games Council. The first Games were held in Suva, Fiji, in 1963 and have since been hosted by various nations and territories across the region. Initially held every three years, the schedule shifted after the 1969 Games in Port Moresby, with the next event staged in Tahiti in 1971, just two years later. From 1975, starting with the fifth Games in Tumon, Guam, the event moved to a four-year cycle.

Due to the lingering effects of European colonisation in the Pacific during the 18th century, many of the nations participating in the 1963 Games were still under British or French administration. This resulted in instances where British and French flags and national anthems were simultaneously used during ceremonies. At the time, Western Samoa (now Samoa) was the sole independent island nation, proudly using its own flag and anthem. As more territories gained independence, they introduced their own symbols of sovereignty. Despite these changes, English and French remain the official languages of the Games.^[2]

Like many sporting events, the South Pacific Games have faced occasional controversies. One ongoing debate is over scheduling events on Sundays, a day observed as the Christian Sabbath across much of the Pacific. In nations such as Tonga, where Sunday activities are strictly regulated, hosting events on that day has been controversial. Religious sensitivities have also influenced certain sports; for instance, the women's beach volleyball uniform of bikinis was replaced by more modest clothing in response to cultural expectations.^[3] However, other territories with ties to more secular nations, such as the Cook Islands (New Zealand), American Samoa (United States), and French Polynesia (France), have taken a more relaxed approach.

Global and regional political events have also impacted the Games. In 1995, when Papeete in Tahiti hosted the Games, several countries staged a boycott in protest of French nuclear testing in the Pacific.^[4] Almost all nations returned for the following Games in 1999 in Guam.

The Pacific Games Council states its primary aim is:^[5]

"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 created to encourage the growth of sport across the South Pacific.^[1] The South Pacific Commission later adopted the name Pacific Community after five decades of existence.^[1]

The 2003 South Pacific Games in Suva, Fiji, marked the first time a comprehensive program of 32 sports was included.^[6] The schedule incorporated both traditional Pacific sports and those with limited regional participation.

For the 2003 event, an unprecedented level of corporate sponsorship allowed organizers greater flexibility in ensuring the Games' success. A vibrant publicity campaign generated public enthusiasm, while schools and youth organizations took part in initiatives such as the "adopt-a-country" program, also introduced for the first time.^[7]

The 2007 South Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa, were the thirteenth edition since 1963. Unlike the Olympic Games, which often produce economic benefits for the host nation,^[8] the 2007 Games left Samoa with an estimated US$92 million debt, largely due to extensive spending on infrastructure such as bridges and roads.^[9]

Despite financial concerns, five nations—Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and American Samoa—submitted bids to host the 2015 Pacific Games. The event was eventually awarded to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, following the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia. However, escalating costs—reportedly exceeding 1 billion AUD—and the logistical demands of organizing the Games continue to raise questions about the feasibility of hosting.^[10]

At the Pacific Games Council General Assembly held in Apia in 2006, the event previously known as the South Pacific Games was officially renamed the Pacific Games. The organizing body also adopted the new name Pacific Games Council, replacing the South Pacific Games Council.^[11] The change took effect after the 2007 South Pacific Games, making that edition the last to use the old name and marking the transition to the new title in all subsequent events.^[11][12] The renaming aimed to modernize the Games' identity and align it with broader regional developments, including the Pacific Community's change of name from the South Pacific Commission to the Pacific Community in 1998.^[13][14] From the 2011 edition onwards, the new Pacific Games title and branding were used universally in all official materials and events.^[11]

At the inaugural Pacific Games, ten sports were contested. Over time, the number of events increased, peaking at thirty-three sports during the 2007 edition, the highest to date. However, during the PGC Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Port Vila in 2016, it was decided to cap the program at a maximum of 24 sports for all editions beginning with the 2023 Games, primarily due to cost considerations.^[15] As of December 2017, the Council had approved 36 sports for potential inclusion in the Games.^[16] As of 2025, sixteen of these sports are designated as core sports, which are mandatory at every edition of the Games from 2027 onwards. Triathlon was added as a core sport in 2016,^[15] with archery receiving the same designation in 2021.^[17] Sailing, which had been made a core sport in 2016,^[15] lost that status during the PGC AGM held in Koror on 6 July 2025. The remaining 20 sports are classified as optional and may be included at the discretion of the host nation's organizing committee. Discontinued sports include the rugby union 15s discipline, which was replaced by rugby sevens, and underwater fishing, which was last contested in 1999.

The following sports (and disciplines) make up the current and discontinued Pacific Games official program and are listed alphabetically according to the name used by the PGC. Five of the 24 sports scheduled for the 2027 Pacific Games will consist of multiple disciplines. Each discipline is marked with a unique 3-character identifier code by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).^[18][19]

Sport	Discipline	Code & Pictogram		Body	Years	Status
Archery		ARC		World Archery	1971–1975, 1995, 2003–2011, 2019–present	Core
Athletics		ATH		World Athletics	1963–present	Core
Badminton		BDM		BWF	2003–2011, 2019, 2027	Optional
Baseball and softball	Baseball	BBL		WBSC[s 1]	1999–2011	Optional
	Softball	SBL			1969–1975, 1991, 2007, 2015	Optional
	Baseball5	BS5			Never	Optional
Basketball	3x3	BK3		FIBA	2019–present	Core
	Basketball	BKB			1963–present	Core
Billiards		BIL		WCBS	Never	Optional
Bodybuilding		BDB		WBPF	1995, 2003–2015, 2023	Optional
Boxing		BOX		World Boxing[s 2]	1963–present	Core
Cricket		CKT		ICC	1979, 1987–1991, 2003–2019	Optional
Cycling	BMX	BMX		UCI	2027	Optional
	Mountain bike	MTB			Never	Optional
	Road	CRD			1966, 1971–1975, 1987, 1995, 2027	Optional
	Track	CTR			1966, 1971–1975, 1987, 1995	Optional
Field hockey	Field hockey	HOC		FIH	1979, 2003–2007	Optional
	Hockey5s	HO5			2015, 2023	Optional
Football		FBL		FIFA	1963–1995, 2003–present	Core
Golf		GLF		IGF	1969–present	Core
Handball		HBL		IHF	Never	Optional
Judo		JUD		IJF	1969–1979, 1987, 1995–2011, 2019–present	Core
Karate		KTE		WKF	1995–2003, 2011–2015, 2023	Optional
Lawn bowls		LBW		World Bowls	1979, 1983, 1991, 2003–2007, 2015–2019	Optional
Netball[s 3]		NTB		World Netball	1963–1969, 1979–1983, 1991–2007, 2015–2023	Optional
Outrigger canoeing	Va'a	VAA		IVF	1995–present	Core
	Kayak	KYK			2023–present	Core
Powerlifting		PLF		IPF	1995, 2003–present	Optional
Rugby league nines		RL9		IRL	2007, 2015–2023	Optional
Rugby	Sevens	RU7		World Rugby	1999–present	Core
Sailing		SAL		World Sailing	1969–1979, 1987–present	Optional
Shooting		SHO		ISSF	1987, 1995, 2003–2019, 2027	Optional
Snooker		SNK		WCBS	Never	Optional
Squash		SQU		WSF	1979–1991, 2003–2019, 2027	Optional
Surfing		SRF		ISA	1995, 2003–2011, 2027	Optional
Swimming		SWM		World Aquatics	1963–1979, 1987–present	Core
Table tennis		TTE		ITTF	1963–present	Core
Taekwondo		TKW		World Taekwondo	1995–present	Core
Tennis		TEN		ITF	1963–present	Core
Touch rugby[s 4]		TRU		FIT	2003–2007, 2015–2023	Optional
Triathlon		TRI		World Triathlon	1995–present	Core
Volleyball	Beach	VBV		FIVB	1999–present	Core
	Indoor	VVO			1963–present	Core
Weightlifting		WLF		IWF	1966–present	Core
Wrestling	Freestyle	WRF		UWW	1999, 2007, 2027	Optional
	Greco-Roman	WRG			1999, 2007, 2027	Optional
	Beach	WRB			2027	Optional
Rugby	Union	RUG		World Rugby	1963–1971, 1979–1995	Discontinued
Underwater fishing		FSH		CMAS	1971–1975, 1995–1999	Discontinued

Only six teams have attended every Pacific Games: Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu. This list includes all 22 current PGAs, two invitational teams as well as two obsolete PGAs, arranged alphabetically. The three-letter country code is also listed for each PGA. Several nations have changed during the Games' history; name changes are explained by footnotes after the nation's name, and other notes are explained by footnotes linked within the table.

PGA	Code	63	66	69	71	75	79	83	87	91	95	99	03	07	11	15	19	23	Total
American Samoa	ASA	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	16
Australia[a]	AUS															•	•	•	3
Cook Islands	COK	•	•		•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	15
Federated States of Micronesia	FSM	Trust Territory of Micronesia										•	•	•	•	•	•	•	7
Fiji	FIJ	H	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	17
French Polynesia	PYF	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	17
Gilbert and Ellice Islands [^]	GEI	•	•		•														3
Guam	GUM		•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	16
Kiribati	KIR	Gilbert and Ellice Islands					•					•	•	•	•	•	•	•	8
Marshall Islands	MHL	Trust Territory of Micronesia										•	•	•	•	•	•	•	7
Trust Territory of Micronesia [^]	TTM					•													1
Nauru	NRU	•	•	•	•	•	•			•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	14
New Caledonia	NCL	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	17
New Zealand[b]	NZL															•	•	•	3
Niue	NIU	•					•	•		•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	11
Norfolk Island	NFK						•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
Northern Mariana Islands	NMI	Trust Territory of Micronesia					•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	11
Palau	PLW	Trust Territory of Micronesia										•	•	•	•	•	•	•	7
Papua New Guinea[PNG]	PNG	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	17
Samoa[SAM]	SAM	•	•	•	•	•	•	H		•		•	•	H	•	•	H	•	15
Solomon Islands	SOL	•	•	•	•	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	16
Tokelau	TKL	Gilbert and Ellice Islands					•	•					•	•	•	•	•	•	8
Tonga	TGA	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	17
Tuvalu	TUV	Gilbert and Ellice Islands					•					•	•	•	•	•	•	•	8
Vanuatu[VAN]	VAN	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	17
Wallis and Futuna	WLF		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	16

Officially, the final medal tally of the Games does not recognize a winner, regarding competition and fair play more highly.^[7]

*Note : Nation(s) in italics no longer participate at the Pacific Games.

Updated after the 2023 Pacific Games.

Rank	PGA / NOC	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	New Caledonia	993	784	689	2,466
2	Tahiti	574	501	530	1,605
3	Papua New Guinea	499	488	475	1,462
4	Fiji	443	516	539	1,498
5	Samoa[a]	266	216	220	702
6	Nauru	110	79	68	257
7	Australia	100	52	35	187
8	Guam	72	112	140	324
9	Tonga	60	74	113	247
10	American Samoa	45	51	84	180
11	Cook Islands	36	57	80	173
12	Solomon Islands	33	103	140	276
13	Wallis and Futuna	31	51	97	179
14	Vanuatu[b]	29	65	110	204
15	Federated States of Micronesia	23	15	10	48
16	New Zealand	19	31	28	78
17	Kiribati	16	27	39	82
18	Northern Mariana Islands	13	13	18	44
19	Palau	9	14	16	39
20	Norfolk Island	7	15	19	41
21	Marshall Islands	5	6	14	25
22	Tokelau	3	2	2	7
23	Tuvalu	2	9	6	17
24	Niue	2	6	13	21
25	Gilbert and Ellice Islands	0	1	1	2
Totals (25 entries)		3,390	3,288	3,486	10,164

• ^[a] Totals for Samoa include all medals won as  Western Samoa
• ^[b] Totals for Vanuatu include all medals won as  New Hebrides

1963, 1979, 2003

1966, 1987, 2011

1969, 1991, 2015

1971, 1995, 2027

1975

1999

1983, 2007, 2019

2023

Host cities of the Pacific Games

Games	No.	Host	Games dates / Opened by	Sports	Competitors	Events	Nations	Top nation
	1963	I	Suva	29 August – 8 September 1963 Governor Sir Kenneth Maddocks	10	646	58	13	Fiji
1966	II	Nouméa	8 – 18 December 1966 Overseas Minister Pierre Billotte	12	1200	86	14	New Caledonia
1969	III	Port Moresby	13 – 23 August 1969 Prince Edward, Duke of Kent	15	1150	95	12	New Caledonia
1971	IV	Papeʻetē	25 August – 5 September 1971 Overseas Minister Pierre Messmer	17	2000	117	14	New Caledonia
1975	V	Agaña	1 – 10 August 1975 Governor Ricardo Bordallo	16	1205	119	13	New Caledonia
1979	VI	Suva	28 August – 8 September 1979 Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau	18	2672	129	19	New Caledonia
1983	VII	Apia	5 – 16 September 1983 Head of State Malietoa Tanumafili II	15	2500	97	13	New Caledonia
1987	VIII	Nouméa	8 – 20 December 1987 Unknown	18	1650	159	12	New Caledonia
1991	IX	Port Moresby and Lae	7 – 21 September 1991 Prince Andrew, Duke of York	17	2000	164	16	Papua New Guinea
1995	X	Papeʻetē	25 – 5 September 1995 Unknown	25	2000	253	12	New Caledonia
1999	XI	Santa Rita	29 May – 12 June 1999 Unknown	22	+3000	233	21	New Caledonia
2003	XII	Suva	28 June – 12 July 2003 President Josefa Iloilo	32	5000	309	22	New Caledonia
2007	XIII	Apia	25 August – 8 September 2007 Head of State Tufuga Efi	33	5000	305	22	New Caledonia
2011	XIV	Nouméa	27 August – 10 September 2011 French President Nicolas Sarkozy	27	4300	305	22	New Caledonia
2015	XV	Port Moresby	4 – 18 July 2015 Prince Andrew, Duke of York	28	3700	299	24	Papua New Guinea
2019	XVI	Apia	7 – 20 July 2019 Head of State Va'aletoa Sualauvi II	26	4000	322	24	New Caledonia
2023	XVII	Honiara	19 November – 2 December 2023 Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare	24	5000	342	24	New Caledonia
2027	XVIII	Pirae	24 July – 8 August 2027 TBA	24	TBA	TBA	24 (expected)	TBD
2031	XIX	Nuku'alofa	TBA 2031 TBA	24	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBD

• Pacific Mini Games
• Micronesian Games

Global Games

• Olympic Games – Worldwide participation, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• World Games – Worldwide participation, focusing on non-Olympic sports.

Other continental Games

• African Games
• Asian Games
• European Games
• Pan American Games
  • South American Games

Community-based Games

• Commonwealth Games – For member countries and territories of the Commonwealth of Nations.
• Jeux de la Francophonie – For French-speaking countries and territories around the world.

• List of South Pacific Games and Mini Games on www.rsssf.com by Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

• Former Oceania Sport Information Centre page on SportsTG at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 November 2018)
• Former Oceania Sport Information Centre page on FoxSportsPulse at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 August 2016)