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Pacific Games

Abbreviation	PAG
First event	1963
Occur every	4 years
Last event	2023
Next event	2027
Headquarters	Suva, Fiji
President	Vidhya Lakhan
Website	Official website: http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=2-2642-0-0-0&sID=24021

The Pacific Games (also known as Jeux du Pacifique in French) is a big sports event held every four years. Athletes from countries and territories all over Oceania compete in many different sports.

The very first Games happened in 1963 in Suva, Fiji. The most recent Games were in 2023 in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Until 2007, these Games were called the South Pacific Games.

The Pacific Games Council (PGC) is in charge of organizing the Games. They also make sure the host city is ready for the event. Athletes with disabilities are fully part of their national teams. In every sport, gold medals are given for first place, silver medals for second, and bronze medals for third.

Ten different cities in seven countries and territories have hosted the Pacific Games. Some countries have hosted many times. Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa have each hosted three times. French Polynesia will host for the third time in 2027. The United States territory of Guam has hosted twice. The Solomon Islands hosted for the first time in 2023.

Only six countries have been to every Pacific Games. These are Fiji, French Polynesia (Tahiti), New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu. New Caledonia has won the most medals in 14 out of 17 Games. Papua New Guinea has won twice, and Fiji once.

History of the Games
Pacific Games Council
- Member Countries
Host Cities of the Pacific Games
- Past and Future Games
Sports at the Games
All-Time Medal Count
See also

History of the Games

How the Idea Started

The idea for the South Pacific Games came from Dr. A.H. Sahu Khan. He was a representative from Fiji at a meeting in 1959. Everyone liked the idea. In 1961, nine territories met and decided that Fiji would host the very first Games.

Creating the Games

In 1962, the South Pacific Commission created the South Pacific Games Council. The first Games were held in Suva, Fiji. Since then, Games have been held in 12 different places. At first, the Games happened every three years. But after the Games in Tumon, Guam, they changed to every four years.

When the first Games happened in 1963, many nations in the Pacific were still ruled by British or French governments. This sometimes caused confusion with flags and national anthems. Western Samoa (now Samoa) was the only independent island nation at that time. As more countries became independent, they got their own flags and anthems. Even today, English and French are the official languages of the Games.

Like other big sports events, the South Pacific Games has had small issues. One ongoing discussion is about scheduling events on Sundays. In many parts of the Pacific, Sunday is a very important day for Christian worship. For example, in Tonga, sports events are not allowed on Sundays.

Religious beliefs have also affected sports uniforms. For example, in beach volleyball, the usual uniform of bikinis for women has sometimes been changed to more modest clothing. However, larger nations or those with closer ties to more secular countries (like Cook Islands with New Zealand, American Samoa with the United States, and French Polynesia with France) are often more relaxed about this.

Other world events have also played a part in the Games' history. In 1995, when Papeete, Tahiti hosted the Games, many countries decided not to attend. This was to protest against French nuclear testing in the Pacific. But by the next Games in 1999, held in Guam, almost all countries were back.

The main goal of the Pacific Games Council 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 started to help sports grow and bring people together in the South Pacific. After 50 years, the South Pacific Commission changed its name to the Pacific Community.

Modern Games

The 2003 Games in Suva, Fiji, were the first to have a full program of 32 sports. These included popular Pacific sports and some less common ones.

The organizers got a lot of help from companies sponsoring the event. This allowed them to make the Games a big success. A fun media campaign got many people in Fiji excited. Schools and youth groups even took part in programs like "adopt-a-country," which was also a first for the Games.

The 2007 Pacific Games were held in Apia, Samoa. Unlike the Olympic Games which often make money, the 2007 Games cost Samoa a lot. This was mainly because of money spent on big projects like bridges and roads.

Even with the high costs, many nations want to host the Games. Five countries bid for the 2015 Pacific Games. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, was chosen. However, the rising cost of hosting (sometimes over $1 billion) makes it harder for countries to put on the event.

Pacific Games Council

The Pacific Games Council is the main group that runs the Games. At the end of each Games, the Council's flag is given to the country that will host the next Games. As the Pacific Islands grew and changed, the Council updated its rules in 2007 to fit modern times and the changing role of sports.

The current President of the Council is Vidhya Lakhan from Fiji.

Member Countries

The Council includes sports organizations from countries and territories that are part of the Pacific Community. There are currently 22 members. 15 of these are also members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Pitcairn Islands is the only Pacific Community member not in the Council. However, Norfolk Island was allowed to join the Council even though it's not a Pacific Community member.

In July 2014, the Oceania National Olympic Committees decided to let Australia and New Zealand join the 2015 Pacific Games. Before this, they were not included because they are wealthy and populous nations, and it was feared they would win everything. They were only allowed to compete in certain sports where other Pacific countries were already strong. These included rugby sevens, sailing, taekwondo, and weightlifting. New Zealand also competed in the 2019 men's football competition with a younger team (U-23) and won gold. Australia and New Zealand still compete in some sports by invitation.

In 2018, the Council created a new "associate membership" for other territories in Oceania. Places like Easter Island, Western New Guinea, Hawaii, and Christmas Island could become members.

Nation	Organisation	Website
	American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC)	asnoc.org/
Cook Islands	Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC)	oceaniasport.com/cookis
Federated States of Micronesia	Federated States of Micronesia National Olympic Committee (FSMNOC)	oceaniasport.com/fsm
Fiji	Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC)	fijiolympiccommittee.com
Guam	Guam National Olympic Committee (GNOC)	oceaniasport.com/guam
Kiribati	Kiribati National Olympic Committee (KNOC)	oceaniasport.com/kiribati
Marshall Islands	Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee (MINOC)	oceaniasport.com/marshalls
Nauru	Nauru Olympic Committee	oceaniasport.com/nauru
New Caledonia	Comité territorial olympique et sportif de Nouvelle-Calédonie (CTOS)	www.ctos.nc
Niue	Niue Island Sports and Commonwealth Games Association (NISCGA)	oceaniasport.com/niue
Norfolk Island	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	Palau National Olympic Committee (PNOC)	oceaniasport.com/palau
Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea Sports Federation & National Olympic Committee (PNGSFOC)	oceaniasport.com/png
Samoa	Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC)	oceaniasport.com/samoa
Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands National Olympic Committee (NOCSI)	oceaniasport.com/solomon
Tahiti	Comité olympique de Polynésie française (COPF)	www.copftahiti.com
Tokelau	Tokelau Sports Federation	sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?assoc=3861
Tonga	Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee (TASANOC)	oceaniasport.com/tonga
Tuvalu	Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (TASNOC)	oceaniasport.com/tuvalu
Vanuatu	Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (VASANOC)	oceaniasport.com/vanuatu
Wallis and Futuna	Comité territorial olympique et sportif des îles Wallis et Futuna (CTOSWF)	wallisetfutuna.franceolympique.com

Host Cities of the Pacific Games

Past and Future Games

Overview of the Pacific Games
Year	Edition	Host City	Host Nation	Opened by	Sports	Events	Teams	Start Date	End Date	Athletes	Top Nation
1963	I	Suva	Fiji	Sir Kenneth Maddocks	10	58	13	29 Aug.	8 Sep.	646	Fiji
1966	II	Nouméa	New Caledonia	Unknown	12	86	14	8 Dec.	18 Dec.	1200	New Caledonia
1969	III	Port Moresby	Papua New Guinea	Prince Edward	15	95	12	13 Aug.	23 Aug.	1150	New Caledonia
1971	IV	Papeete	Tahiti	Pierre Messmer	17	117	14	25 Aug.	5 Sep.	2000	New Caledonia
1975	V	Tumon	Guam	Ricardo Bordallo	16	119	13	1 Aug.	10 Aug.	1205	New Caledonia
1979	VI	Suva	Fiji	Unknown	18	129	19	28 Aug.	8 Sep.	2672	New Caledonia
1983	VII	Apia	Western Samoa	Malietoa Tanumafili II	15	97	13	5 Sep.	16 Sep.	2500	New Caledonia
1987	VIII	Nouméa	New Caledonia	Unknown	18	159	12	8 Dec.	20 Dec.	1650	New Caledonia
1991	IX	Port Moresby	Papua New Guinea	Prince Andrew	17	164	16	7 Sep.	21 Sep.	2000	Papua New Guinea
1995	X	Pirae	Tahiti	Unknown	25	253	12	25 Aug.	5 Sep.	2000	New Caledonia
1999	XI	Santa Rita	Guam	Unknown	22	233	21	29 May	12 Jun.	3000+	New Caledonia
2003	XII	Suva	Fiji	Josefa Iloilo	32	309	22	28 Jun.	12 Jul.	5000	New Caledonia
2007	XIII	Apia	Samoa	Tufuga Efi	33	305	22	25 Aug.	8 Sep.	5000	New Caledonia
2011	XIV	Nouméa	New Caledonia	Nicolas Sarkozy	27	305	22	27 Aug.	10 Sep.	4300	New Caledonia
2015	XV	Port Moresby	Papua New Guinea	Prince Andrew	28	300	24	4 Jul.	18 Jul.	3700	Papua New Guinea
2019	XVI	Apia	Samoa	Va'aletoa Sualauvi II	26	322	24	7 Jul.	20 Jul.	3500	New Caledonia
2023	XVII	Honiara	Solomon Islands	Manasseh Sogavare	24	342	24	19 Nov.	2 Dec.	5000	New Caledonia
2027	XVIII	Pirae	Tahiti	TBA	24	TBD	24	24 Jul.	8 Aug.	TBD
2031	XIX	TBA			24	TBD	24	TBD

Sports at the Games

The Pacific Games Council has approved 37 sports. Starting from the 2023 Games, a maximum of 24 sports will be played at each event.

Core Sports

There are 17 "core sports" that must be included in every Pacific Games. Sailing and Triathlon became core sports in 2016, and Archery was added in 2021.

Here are the core sports and when they have been played:

Sport (discipline)		Times Played	Years

Archery		8 times	1971–1975, 1995, 2003–2011, 2019–present
Athletics		All	1963–present
Basketball	(5x5)	All	1963–present
Basketball	Basketball (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 (va'a)		8 times	1995–present
Rugby sevens		6 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
Volleyball	Volleyball (beach)	7 times	1999–present
Weightlifting		16 times	1966–present

Optional Sports

Host nations can choose up to 20 "optional sports" to include in the Games. Here are the optional sports and when they have been played:

Sport (discipline)	Times Played	Years

Badminton	4 times	2003–2011, 2019
Baseball	4 times	1999–2011
Billiards	0 Never	N/A
Bodybuilding	6 times	1995, 2003–2015, 2023
Cricket	8 times	1979, 1987–1991, 2003–present
Cycling	5 times	1966, 1971–1975, 1987, 1995
Field hockey	5 times	1979, 2003–2007, 2015, 2023
Handball	0 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–present
Powerlifting	7 times	1995, 2003–present
Rugby league nines	4 times	2007, 2015–present
Shooting	7 times	1987, 1995, 2003–2019
Snooker	0 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–present
Wrestling	2 times	1999, 2007

Former Sports

Some sports that used to be part of the Games are no longer played. These include rugby 15s (now replaced by rugby 7s) and underwater fishing (last played in 1999).

Sport (discipline)	Times Played	Years

Rugby union	9 times	1963–1971, 1979–1995
Underwater fishing	4 times	1971–1975, 1995–1999

Rugby league 7s was also included at the 2009 Pacific Mini Games, but it has since been replaced by rugby league 9s.

Important Notes:

The 3x3 format was added for basketball in 2019.
Volleyball and beach volleyball are counted as one sport for the Games program.
Netball is only for women's teams.
If touch rugby is chosen, it must include men's, women's, and mixed team tournaments.

All-Time Medal Count

The Games do not officially declare a "winner" based on medals. They value fair play and friendly competition more.

*Note: Nations in italics no longer take part in the Pacific Games. Updated after the 2023 Pacific Games.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	New Caledonia	993	784	689	2,466
2	Tahiti	574	503	529	1,606
3	Papua New Guinea	499	473	485	1,457
4	Fiji	443	515	538	1,496
5	Samoa (includes Western Samoa)	266	214	222	702
6	Nauru	111	79	67	257
7	Australia	100	52	35	187
8	Guam	72	112	140	324
9	Tonga	60	74	114	248
10	American Samoa	45	51	84	180
11	Cook Islands	36	57	80	173
12	Vanuatu (includes New Hebrides)	32	68	111	211
13	Solomon Islands	31	88	122	241
14	Wallis and Futuna	28	48	91	167
15	Micronesia	23	15	10	48
16	New Zealand	19	32	28	79
17	Kiribati	15	28	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	7	15	27
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)		3,388	3,260	3,474	10,122