Rugby union has been a men's medal sport at the South Pacific Games, being played at nine of the first ten competitions. The sport debuted at the inaugural 1963 games where the gold medal was won by the host nation. It was subsequently featured in the following games till the tenth games in 1995.
The 1963 South Pacific Games, held from 29 August to 9 September 1963 at Suva in Fiji, was the first edition of the South Pacific Games. The multisport games were established to engender bonds of friendship amongst peoples in the Pacific, after an idea originated by Dr A.H. Sahu Khan was adopted by the South Pacific Commission. At a meeting of nine Territories, held in Nouméa during March 1961, Fiji was awarded the honour of hosting the first Games.
The 1969 South Pacific Games, held from 13–23 August 1969 at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, was the third edition of the South Pacific Games. A total of 1,150 athletes participated in the games.
Boxing at the Pacific Games has been contested since 1963 when it was included as one of ten sports at the First South Pacific Games held in Suva, Fiji. There are presently ten weight classes for the men's competition at the Pacific Games, known as the South Pacific Games prior to 2011, in accordance with the (amateur) International Boxing Association (AIBA) classifications.
The 1971 South Pacific Games, held at Papeete in Tahiti from 25 August to 5 September 1971, was the fourth edition of the South Pacific Games.
The 1975 South Pacific Games, held in Guam from 1 to 10 August 1975, was the fifth edition of the South Pacific Games. A total of 1,205 athletes participated in a rain-affected games which had only one clear day out of the ten scheduled.
The 1999 South Pacific Games, held in Guam from 29 May to 12 June 1999, was the eleventh edition of the South Pacific Games.
The 1997 South Pacific Mini Games were held at Pago Pago in American Samoa from 11 to 22 August 1997. It was the fifth edition of the South Pacific Mini Games. It was much larger than previous editions, with an almost doubling of the number of medals awarded compared to the 1993 South Pacific Mini Games. The impressive performances by Nauru in weightlifting continued in Pago Pago, with the tiny nation finishing on top of the unofficial medal table after winning 33 gold.
The 1995 South Pacific Games, held at Papeete in French Polynesia from 25 August to 5 September 1995, was the tenth edition of the South Pacific Games.
The 1979 South Pacific Games, held at Suva in Fiji from 28 August to 8 September 1979, was the sixth edition of the South Pacific Games.
Netball at the Pacific Games has been an optional Pacific Games sport since 1963. Fiji have been the tournament's most successful team, winning seven gold medals. Cook Islands have won four gold medals. To date, only the Cook Islands and Fiji have won netball gold at the Pacific Games.
Golf has been contested at the Pacific Games since 1969 when the sport was included as one of fifteen sports at the Third South Pacific Games held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It is a core sport on the Pacific Games program.
Tennis at the Pacific Games has been contested since 1963 when it was included as one of ten sports at the First South Pacific Games held in Suva, Fiji.
Weightlifting at the Pacific Games has been contested since 1966 when it was included as one of twelve sports at the Second South Pacific Games held in Nouméa, New Caledonia. A weightlifting competition for women was introduced in 1995 for the games in Papeete.
Swimming competitions have been held at the Pacific Games since the inaugural edition in 1963 at every Games except for 1983. Swimming has also been held once at the South Pacific Mini Games, in 2005.
Table tennis at the Pacific Games has been contested since 1963 when it was included as one of ten sports at the First South Pacific Games held in Suva, Fiji.
Sailing at the Pacific Games was first contested when the sport was added for the 1969 games at Port Moresby. It has also been included at several of the Pacific Mini Games, starting with the fifth edition held in American Samoa in 1997.
Archery at the Pacific Games was first contested at the 1971 games at Papeete. Archery was made a core sport in 2021, and is thus required to be included at every subsequent edition of the Pacific Games. It has also been included in the Pacific Mini Games, firstly at Norfolk Island in 2001 and then Port Vila in 2017.
Triathlon at the Pacific Games was first contested at the 1995 games at Papeete. It has also been included in the Pacific Mini Games, firstly at Norfolk Island in 2001.
Taekwondo at the Pacific Games has been contested since 1995 when it was introduced for the tenth edition at Papeete, Tahiti. Women's taekwondo was added in 1999 for the games held in Guam.
