Pacific Mini Games

Sporting event

Pacific Mini Games

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.

## 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

1989

1993, 2017

1997

2001

2005, 2025

2013

2022

class=notpageimage|

Host cities of the Pacific Mini Games

### List of Pacific Mini Games

[edit]

Overview of the Pacific Mini Games  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​ Caledonia |
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​ Samoa |
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]

## Sports

[edit]

Further information: Pacific Games § Sports

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

### Former sports

[edit]

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

## 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 2022.

Rank| Nation| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|
|

1|  New​ Caledonia| 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)| 1,265| 1,173| 1,141| 3,579

## 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

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

* 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

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template