Pacific Mini Games

Sporting event

Pacific Mini Games

Abbreviation| PMG
First event| 1981
Occur every| 4 years
Headquarters| Suva, Fiji
President| Vidhya Lakhan

The Pacific Mini Games are 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. The Cook Islands have hosted twice and is scheduled for a third in 2029. Vanuatu and Palau have also hosted two Games. 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, with Samoa, Nauru, and Tahiti topping the games once.

## Concept

[edit]

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.

## Pacific Games Council

[edit]

Main article: Pacific Games § Council

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]

## Editions

[edit]

1981

1985, 2009, 2029

1989

1993, 2017

1997

2001

2005, 2025

2013

2022

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Host cities of the Pacific Mini Games

### List of Pacific Mini Games

[edit]

Games  | No. | Host  | Games dates /
Opened by  | Sports  | Competitors  | Events  | Nations  | Top nation

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1981  | I |  Honiara | 8 – 16 July 1981
Unknown | 5 | +600 | 51 | 15  |  New Caledonia
1985  | II |  Rarotonga | 31 July – 9 August 1985
Unknown | 6 | 700 | 56 | 16  |  Papua New Guinea
1989  | III |  Nuku'alofa | 22 August – 1 September 1989
King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV | 6 | 832 | 93 | 16  |  Western Samoa
1993  | IV |  Port Vila | 6 – 16 December 1993
Unknown | 6 |  | 67 | 15  |  Fiji
1997  | V |  Pago Pago | 11 – 22 August 1997
Unknown | 11 | 1798 | 144 | 19  |  Nauru
2001  | VI |  Kingston | 3 – 14 December 2001
Unknown | 10 |  | 97 | 18  |  Fiji
2005  | VII |  Koror | 25 July – 4 August 2005
President Thomas Remengesau Jr. | 12 |  | 170 | 20  |  New Caledonia
2009  | VIII |  Rarotonga | 21 September – 2 October 2009
Queen's Rep Sir Frederick Goodwin | 15 | +1354 | 144 | 21  |  Fiji
2013  | IX |  Mata Utu | 2 – 12 September 2013
French President François Hollande | 8 |  | 127 | 22  |  Papua New Guinea
2017  | X |  Port Vila | 5 – 15 December 2017
President Tallis Obed Moses | 14 | ~2000 | 173 | 24  |  New Caledonia
2022  | XI |  Saipan | 17 – 25 June 2022
Governor Ralph Torres | 9 | 1034 | 144 | 19  |  Papua New Guinea
2025  | XII |  Koror | 29 June – 9 July 2025
President Surangel Whipps Jr. | 12 | ~2000 | 236 | 23  |  French Polynesia
2029 | XIII |  Rarotonga | TBA 2029
TBA  | 12 | TBA | TBA | 24 (expected) | 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]

## Sports

[edit]

Further information: Pacific Games § Sports

There are 36 approved sports by the Pacific Games Council updated in 2025. 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 PGC. After the 2025 Games in Koror, 28 of the 36 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  | Discipline  | Code & Pictogram | Body | Years  | Status

|
|
|
|
|

Archery | ARC  |  | World Archery | 2001, 2017, 2025  |
Athletics | ATH  |  | World Athletics | 1981–present  |
Badminton | BDM  |  | BWF | 2022  |
Baseball and softball  | Baseball | BBL  |  | WBSC[s 1] | 2005, 2022–present  |
Softball | SBL  |  | 2005, 2025  |
Basketball  | 3x3 | BK3  |  | FIBA | 2017, 2025  |
Basketball | BKB  |  | 1997, 2005  |
Bodybuilding | BDB  |  | WBPF | 2001  |
Boxing | BOX  |  | World Boxing[s 2] | 1981, 1989–1997, 2009, 2017  |
Football | FBL  |  | FIFA | 1981, 1993, 2017  |
Golf | GLF  |  | IGF | 1985–2001, 2009, 2017–2022  |
Judo | JUD  |  | IJF | 2017, 2025  |
Karate | KTE  |  | WKF | 2017  |
Lawn bowls | LBW  |  | World Bowls | 1985, 2001, 2009  |
Netball[s 3] | NTB  |  | World Netball | 1981–2001, 2009, 2017  |
Outrigger canoeing  | Va'a | VAA  |  | IVF | 2005–2013, 2022–present  |
Kayak | KYK  |  | 2025  |
Powerlifting | PLF  |  | IPF | 1997  |
Rugby  | Sevens | RU7  |  | World Rugby | 1997, 2009–2017  |
Sailing | SAL  |  | World Sailing | 1997, 2009–2013  |
Shooting | SHO  |  | ISSF | 2001  |
Squash | SQU  |  | WSF | 2001, 2009  |
Swimming | SWM  |  | World Aquatics | 2005, 2025  |
Table tennis | TTE  |  | ITTF | 2005–2009, 2017, 2025  |
Taekwondo | TKW  |  | World Taekwondo | 2013  |
Tennis | TEN  |  | ITF | 1981–2009, 2017–2022  |
Touch rugby[s 4] | TRU  |  | FIT | 2009  |
Triathlon | TRI  |  | World Triathlon | 2001–2009, 2022–present  |
Volleyball  | Beach | VBV  |  | FIVB | 2005, 2013–present  |
Indoor | VVO  |  | 1997, 2013, 2025  |
Weightlifting | WLF  |  | IWF | 1989, 1997, 2005–present  |
Wrestling  | Freestyle | WRF  |  | UWW | 2005, 2025  |
Greco-Roman | WRG  |  | 2005, 2025  |
Beach | WRB  |  | 2025  |
Rugby  | Union | RUG  |  | World Rugby | 1985  | Discontinued
Rugby league  | Sevens | RL7  |  | IRL | 2009  | Discontinued

1. ^ The World Baseball Softball Confederation, which currently governs both baseball and softball, was created by a 2013 merger of two former governing bodies – the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation. Baseball and softball were governed separately at all Pacific Games before 2013.
2. ^ AIBA/IBA was the recognised body of boxing until 2023.
3. ^ Netball is a women's competition only.
4. ^ Touch rugby is an optional sport, however, all three events (men's, women's and mixed tournaments) must be included if the sport is scheduled on a games programme.

## All-time medal table

[edit]

This table shows all medals won by a Pacific Games association since the inaugural games in 1981 to the most recent games held in 2025.

Rank| Nation| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|
|

1|  New Caledonia| 255| 204| 162| 621
2|  French Polynesia| 223| 150| 134| 507
3|  Fiji| 216| 208| 202| 626
4|  Papua New Guinea| 204| 216| 189| 609
5|  Samoa| 160| 94| 108| 362
6|  Nauru| 69| 47| 41| 157
7|  Vanuatu| 45| 64| 64| 173
8|  Cook Islands| 42| 52| 57| 151
9|  Australia| 40| 19| 20| 79
10|  Tonga| 36| 49| 81| 166
11|  American Samoa| 33| 37| 26| 96
12|  Northern Mariana Islands| 30| 33| 31| 94
13|  Solomon Islands| 29| 79| 66| 174
14|  Kiribati| 26| 12| 20| 58
15|  Guam| 23| 28| 41| 92
16|  Palau| 17| 18| 25| 60
17|  Wallis and Futuna| 13| 29| 36| 78
18|  Micronesia| 12| 8| 8| 28
19|  Marshall Islands| 10| 7| 6| 23
20|  Norfolk Island| 7| 17| 14| 38
21|  New Zealand| 4| 10| 4| 18
22|  Tuvalu| 3| 3| 13| 19
23|  Niue| 2| 14| 7| 23
–|  Independent PGC athletes| 2| 1| 0| 3
24|  Tokelau| 0| 2| 2| 4
Totals (24 entries)| 1,501| 1,401| 1,357| 4,259

## See also

[edit]

* Pacific Games

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Vanuatu committed to 2017 Pacific Mini Games". Cook Islands News. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
2. ^ Stadium and China loan on hold Archived 8 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Cook Islands News Online, 12 September 2007
3. ^ "Stadium for Mini Games in Cooks gets go-ahead". Radio New Zealand. 11 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009.

## Sources

[edit]

* Charter – Constitution adopted Apia, Samoa 14 May 2006 – Protocols and Regulations adopted by Executive Board on 17th January 2007 and 20th March 2007 (PDF) (Report). Pacific Games Council. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF 0.3 MB) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2015.

* v
* t
* e

Pacific Games

* Known as the South Pacific Games prior to 2009

Pacific
Games|

* 1963 Suva
* 1966 Nouméa
* 1969 Port Moresby
* 1971 Papeete
* 1975 Guam
* 1979 Suva
* 1983 Apia
* 1987 Nouméa
* 1991 Port Moresby
* 1995 Papeete
* 1999 Guam
* 2003 Suva
* 2007 Apia
* 2011 Nouméa
* 2015 Port Moresby
* 2019 Apia
* 2023 Honiara
* 2027 Pirae
* 2031 Nuku'alofa

Mini
Games|

* 1981 Honiara
* 1985 Rarotonga
* 1989 Nuku'alofa
* 1993 Port Vila
* 1997 Pago Pago
* 2001 Kingston
* 2005 Koror
* 2009 Rarotonga
* 2013 Mata Utu
* 2017 Port Vila
* 2022 Saipan
* 2025 Koror
* 2029 Rarotonga

* Archery
* Athletics
* Badminton
* Baseball
* Basketball
* Beach volleyball
* Boxing
* Cricket
* Field hockey
* Football
* Golf
* Judo
* Netball
* Lawn bowls
* Rugby union (7s & 15s)
* Rugby league (9s)
* Sailing
* Swimming
* Table tennis
* Taekwondo
* Tennis
* Touch rugby
* Triathlon
* Va'a
* Volleyball
* Weightlifting

*[No.]: Games Number
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