Abbreviation | PMG |
---|---|
First event | 1981 |
Occur every | 4 years |
Headquarters | Suva, Fiji |
President | Vidhya Lakhan |
Website | Official website |
The Pacific Mini Games is a continental multi-sport event contested by countries and territories located in Oceania. The event has been held every four years since the inaugural games in Honiara, Solomon Islands in 1981. It was known as the South Pacific Mini Games prior to 2009. It is called the 'Mini' games because it is a scaled-down version of the main Pacific Games and is similarly rotated on a four-year basis in the intervening years between the main Games.
The Mini Games have been hosted by 9 different Pacific Island capitals around 4 countries and 5 territories. Only the Cook Islands and Vanuatu have hosted twice, with Palau set to host the event for the second time in 2025. Similarly to the main Games, 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.
Unlike the main Games, there is equal dominance from Pacific Games associations (PGA's). Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Fiji have all ranked first a record 3 times each with Samoa and Nauru topping a games once.
Following the success of the main Pacific Games, the Pacific Games council decided to create a smaller version of the games to enable smaller nations and territories to host events and compete against each other. From this came the Pacific Mini Games.
The governing body for the mini games is the Pacific Games Council. Much like the main games, the Games council flag is presented to the host nation of the next mini games at the end of every games. As of 2017, [1] the council has 22 member nations.
Two other nations, Australia and New Zealand, are not members of the council but are invited as observers to the council's general assembly. [1] These nations participated at the mini games in 2017 and made their main games debut in 2015. [1]
Year | Edition | Host city | Host Association | Opened by | Sports | Events | Teams | Start date | End date | Competitors | Top Association | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | I | Honiara | Solomon Islands | Unknown | 5 | 51 | 15 | 8 Jul. | 16 Jul. | 600+ | New | |
1985 | II | Rarotonga | Cook Islands | Unknown | 6 | 56 | 16 | 31 Jul. | 9 Aug. | 700 | Papua New Guinea | |
1989 | III | Nuku'alofa | Tonga | King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV | 6 | 93 | 16 | 22 Aug. | 1 Sep. | 832 | Western | |
1993 | IV | Port Vila | Vanuatu | Unknown | 6 | 67 | 15 | 6 Dec. | 16 Dec. | Fiji | ||
1997 | V | Pago Pago | American Samoa | Unknown | 11 | 144 | 19 | 11 Aug. | 22 Aug. | 1798 | Nauru | |
2001 | VI | Kingston | Norfolk Island | Unknown | 10 | 97 | 18 | 3 Dec. | 14 Dec. | Fiji | ||
2005 | VII | Koror | Palau | Tommy Remengesau | 12 | 170 | 20 | 25 Jul. | 4 Aug. | New Caledonia | ||
2009 | VIII | Rarotonga | Cook Islands | Frederick Tutu Goodwin | 15 | 144 | 21 | 21 Sep. | 2 Oct. | 1354+ | Fiji | |
2013 | IX | Mata Utu | Wallis and Futuna | François Hollande | 8 | 127 | 22 | 2 Sep. | 12 Sep. | Papua New Guinea | ||
2017 | X | Port Vila | Vanuatu | Tallis Obed Moses | 14 | 173 | 24 | 5 Dec. | 15 Dec. | 2000 | New Caledonia | |
2021 | XI | Saipan | Northern Mariana Islands | Ralph Torres | 9 | 144 | 19 | 17 Jun. | 25 Jun. | 1034 | Papua New Guinea | |
2025 | XII | Koror | Palau | TBA | TBD |
As with the main games, the cost of providing the necessary facilities and infrastructure is a concern to the region's smaller nations. In preparation for the 2009 Games in Rarotonga, despite having hosted the games previously, the local government considered diverting funds from a highway project, and secured a loan for US$10 million from the Chinese government to finance the building of a stadium. [2] [3]
There are 37 approved sports by the Pacific Games Council updated in 2019. Unlike the main games, the Pacific Mini Games does not have a compulsory sports list. However, 50 percent of the sports selected for a games must be from the compulsory sports list of the Pacific Games Council.
After the 2022 Games in Saipan, 29 of the 37 sports have been included at the Mini Games since the inaugural edition in 1981.
Listed are sports already contested at the Pacific Mini Games.
Sport | Contested | Years | |
---|---|---|---|
Discipline | |||
Archery | 2 times | 2001, 2017 | |
Athletics | All | 1981–present | |
Badminton | Once | 2022 | |
Baseball | 2 times | 2005, 2022–present | |
Basketball | Basketball | 2 times | 1997, 2005 |
3x3 Basketball | Once | 2017 | |
Bodybuilding | Once | 2001 | |
Boxing | 6 times | 1981, 1989–1997, 2009, 2017 | |
Football | 3 times | 1981, 1993, 2017 | |
Golf | 8 times | 1985–2001, 2009, 2017–present | |
Judo | Once | 2017 | |
Karate | Once | 2017 | |
Lawn bowls | 3 times | 1985, 2001, 2009 | |
Netball | 8 times | 1981–2001, 2009, 2017 | |
Outrigger canoeing | 4 times | 2005–2013, 2022–present | |
Powerlifting | Once | 1997 | |
Rugby 7s | 4 times | 1997, 2009–2017 | |
Sailing | 3 times | 1997, 2009−2013 | |
Shooting | Once | 2001 | |
Softball | Once | 2005 | |
Squash | 2 times | 2001, 2009 | |
Swimming | Once | 2005 | |
Table tennis | 3 times | 2005–09, 2017 | |
Taekwondo | Once | 2013 | |
Tennis | 10 times | 1981–2009, 2017–present | |
Touch rugby | Once | 2009 | |
Triathlon | 4 times | 2001–2009, 2022–present | |
Volleyball | Indoor volleyball | 2 times | 1997, 2013 |
Beach volleyball | 4 times | 2005, 2013–present | |
Weightlifting | 7 times | 1989, 1997, 2005–present | |
Wrestling | Once | 2005 | |
Both disciplines have been replaced by other versions of the sports. Rugby 15s (replaced by Rugby 7s), and Rugby league 7s (replaced by Rugby league 9s).
Sport | Contested | Years |
---|---|---|
Rugby 15s | Once | 1985 |
Rugby league 7s | Once | 2009 |
This table shows all medals won by a Pacific Games association since the inaugural games in 1981 to the most recent games held in 2022.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New | 248 | 193 | 146 | 587 |
2 | Fiji | 189 | 178 | 178 | 545 |
3 | Papua New Guinea | 182 | 187 | 173 | 542 |
4 | French Polynesia | 151 | 109 | 105 | 365 |
5 | Samoa | 133 | 80 | 88 | 301 |
6 | Nauru | 66 | 23 | 30 | 119 |
7 | Vanuatu | 42 | 57 | 59 | 158 |
8 | Cook Islands | 38 | 49 | 50 | 137 |
9 | Tonga | 33 | 42 | 75 | 150 |
10 | Solomon Islands | 28 | 74 | 63 | 165 |
11 | American Samoa | 27 | 32 | 22 | 81 |
12 | Kiribati | 22 | 11 | 17 | 50 |
13 | Northern Mariana Islands | 20 | 25 | 18 | 63 |
14 | Guam | 19 | 19 | 34 | 72 |
15 | Australia | 16 | 3 | 5 | 24 |
16 | Palau | 12 | 11 | 8 | 31 |
17 | Wallis and Futuna | 9 | 24 | 32 | 65 |
18 | Micronesia | 9 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
19 | Norfolk Island | 7 | 17 | 14 | 38 |
20 | Marshall Islands | 5 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
21 | Tuvalu | 3 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
22 | Niue | 2 | 14 | 7 | 23 |
23 | New Zealand | 2 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
– | Independent PGC athletes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
24 | Tokelau | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Totals (24 entries) | 1265 | 1173 | 1141 | 3579 |
The Pacific Games, 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 2019 in Apia, Samoa. 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.
Association football has been regularly included in the Pacific Games, the multi-sports event for Pacific nations, territories and dependencies, since 1963. Until 2011 the competition was known as the South Pacific Games.
The 2011 Pacific Games took place in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from August 27 to September 10, 2011. Nouméa was the 14th host of the Pacific Games. Upon closure of the registration for entries, "some 4,300 athletes" had registered from the twenty-two competing nations, although it was expected that not all would attend.
A cricket tournament at the Pacific Games, previously the South Pacific Games, was introduced in 1979 and was played intermittently at games in the 1980s and 1990s, depending on the facilities of the host nation. Since 2003, cricket has featured at every Pacific Games. Detailed records of the tournaments prior to 2003 have not been kept and beyond knowing what teams won the gold and silver medals at each Games, little is known with certainty of the first three tournaments.
The 2009 Pacific Mini Games was held in the Cook Islands from 21 September to 2 October. It was the 8th edition of the Pacific Mini Games.
The most popular sport in Oceania varies from country to country. The most popular sport in Australia is cricket, the most popular sport among Australian women is netball, while Australian rules football is the most popular sport in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. Rugby is the most popular sport among New Zealanders. In Papua New Guinea, the most popular sport is the Rugby league.
The 2019 Pacific Games was the sixteenth edition of the Pacific Games. The Games were held in Apia, Samoa, returning there for the first time since 2007. It was the third time overall that the Pacific Games were held in Samoa.
Athletics competitions at the 1981 South Pacific Mini Games were held in Honiara, Solomon Islands, between July 8–16, 1981.
Athletics competitions at the 1985 South Pacific Mini Games were held at the Tereora National Stadium in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, between August 1–9, 1985.
Athletics competitions at the 1989 South Pacific Mini Games were held at the Teufaiva Stadium in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, between August 24–30, 1989.
Athletics competitions at the 2005 South Pacific Mini Games were held at the National Stadium in Koror, Palau, between July 25–29, 2005.
Athletics competitions at the 2009 Pacific Mini Games were held at the Bank of the Cook Islands National Stadium in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, between September 22–26, 2009.
The 2013 Pacific Mini Games was the ninth edition of these Mini Games. They were held in Mata Utu in Wallis and Futuna from 2 to 12 September 2013.
The 1985 South Pacific Mini Games were held at Rarotonga in the Cook Islands from 31 July to 9 August 1985. It was the second edition of the South Pacific Mini Games.
The 1989 South Pacific Mini Games were held at Nuku'alofa in Tonga from 22 August to 1 September 1989. It was the third edition of the South Pacific Mini 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 1987 South Pacific Games, held from 8–20 December 1987 at Nouméa in New Caledonia, was the eight edition of the South Pacific Games. Political events of the time affected the Games in 1987 and the number of competitors were down. Fiji had two military coups in 1987, and within New Caledonia itself, the Games became a focus of protest in the Kanak independence struggle. The French territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia had the largest teams and dominated the medal count, with Papua New Guinea finishing third ahead of a depleted Fijian team.
The 1983 South Pacific Games, held at Apia in Western Samoa from 5–16 September 1983, was the seventh 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.
The 2017 Pacific Mini Games were held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in December 2017. It was the tenth edition of the Pacific Mini Games, and the second to be hosted in Vanuatu.