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Pacific Mini Games

Sporting event

Summary

Sporting event

Field	Value
name	Pacific Mini Games
image	Pacific Logo.svg
abbreviation	PMG
formation	1981
recurrence	4 years
headquarters	Suva, Fiji
leader_title	President
leader_name	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

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

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, 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. These nations participated at the mini games in 2017 and made their main games debut in 2015.

Editions

List of Pacific Mini Games

Games	No.	Host	Games dates /
Opened by	Sports	Competitors	Events	Nations	Top nation
1981		SOL Honiara	8 – 16 July 1981
Unknown	5	+600	51	15	NCL New Caledonia
1985		COK Rarotonga	31 July – 9 August 1985
Unknown	6	700	56	16	PNG
1989		TGA Nuku'alofa	22 August – 1 September 1989
King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV	6	832	93	16	WSM
1993		VAN Port Vila	6 – 16 December 1993
Unknown	6		67	15	FIJ
1997		ASA Pago Pago	11 – 22 August 1997
Unknown	11	1798	144	19	NRU
2001		NFK Kingston	3 – 14 December 2001
Unknown	10		97	18	FIJ
2005		PLW Koror	25 July – 4 August 2005
President Thomas Remengesau Jr.	12		170	20	New Caledonia Sports Flag.svg New Caledonia
2009		COK Rarotonga	21 September – 2 October 2009
Queen's Rep Sir Frederick Goodwin	15	+1354	144	21	FIJ
2013		WLF Mata Utu	2 – 12 September 2013
French President François Hollande	8		127	22	PNG
2017		VAN Port Vila	5 – 15 December 2017
President Tallis Obed Moses	14	~2000	173	23+1	New Caledonia Sports Flag.svg New Caledonia
2022		NMI Saipan	17 – 25 June 2022
Governor Ralph Torres	9	1034	144	19	PNG
2025		PLW Koror	29 June – 9 July 2025
President Surangel Whipps Jr.	12	~2000	236	23	TAH
2029	**	COK Rarotonga	TBA 2029
TBA	12			24 (expected)

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.

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	[[File:Archery pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Archery	2001, 2017, 2025
ATH	[[File:Athletics pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Athletics	1981–present
BDM	[[File:Badminton pictogram.svg	17px]]	BWF	2022
BBL	[[File:Baseball pictogram.svg	17px]]	WBSC{{refn	group=s	name=WBSC}}	2005, 2022–present
SBL	[[File:Softball pictogram.svg	17px]]	2005, 2025
BK3	[[File:3-on-3 basketball pictogram.svg	17px]]	FIBA	2017, 2025
BKB	[[File:Basketball pictogram.svg	17px]]	1997, 2005
BDB	[[File:Bodybuilding pictogram.svg	17px]]	WBPF	2001
BOX	[[File:Boxing pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Boxing	1981, 1989–1997, 2009, 2017
FBL	[[File:Football pictogram.svg	17px]]	FIFA	1981, 1993, 2017
GLF	[[File:Golf pictogram.svg	17px]]	IGF	1985–2001, 2009, 2017–2022
JUD	[[File:Judo pictogram.svg	17px]]	IJF	2017, 2025
KTE	[[File:Karate pictogram.svg	17px]]	WKF	2017
LBW	[[File:Lawn bowls pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Bowls	1985, 2001, 2009
NTB	[[File:Netball pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Netball	1981–2001, 2009, 2017
VAA	[[File:Vaa pictogram.svg	17px]]	IVF	2005–2013, 2022–present
KYK	[[File:Canoeing (slalom) pictogram.svg	17px]]	2025
PLF	[[File:Powerlifting pictogram.svg	17px]]	IPF	1997
RU7	[[File:Rugby Sevens pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Rugby	1997, 2009–2017
SAL	[[File:Sailing pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Sailing	1997, 2009–2013
SHO	[[File:Shooting pictogram.svg	17px]]	ISSF	2001
SQU	[[File:Squash pictogram.svg	17px]]	WSF	2001, 2009
SWM	[[File:Swimming pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Aquatics	2005, 2025
TTE	[[File:Table tennis pictogram.svg	17px]]	ITTF	2005–2009, 2017, 2025
TKW	[[File:Taekwondo pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Taekwondo	2013
TEN	[[File:Tennis pictogram.svg	17px]]	ITF	1981–2009, 2017–2022
TRU	[[File:Rugby league pictogram.svg	17px]]	FIT	2009
TRI	[[File:Triathlon pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Triathlon	2001–2009, 2022–present
VBV	[[File:Volleyball (beach) pictogram.svg	17px]]	FIVB	2005, 2013–present
VVO	[[File:Volleyball (indoor) pictogram.svg	17px]]	1997, 2013, 2025
WLF	[[File:Weightlifting pictogram.svg	17px]]	IWF	1989, 1997, 2005–present
WRF	[[File:Wrestling Freestyle pictogram.svg	17px]]	UWW	2005, 2025
WRG	[[File:Wrestling pictogram.svg	17px]]	2005, 2025
WRB	[[File:Beach wrestling pictogram.svg	17px]]	2025
RUG	[[File:Rugby union pictogram.svg	17px]]	World Rugby	1985	Discontinued
RL7	[[File:Rugby league pictogram.svg	17px]]	IRL	2009	Discontinued

Participating nations

Only ten teams have attended every Pacific Mini Games: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. This list includes all 22 current PGAs and the two invitational teams, arranged alphabetically. The three-letter country code is also listed for each PGA. Country name changes are explained by footnotes after the nation's name, and other notes are explained by footnotes linked within the table.

Other entries

IPA. Athletes from Tahiti competed as Independent Athletes in 2017. No official Tahiti team took part in the 2017 Mini Games following the French Polynesian government's decision to boycott the event. A number of Tahitian athletes competed under the banner of the Pacific Games Council.

Table legend

		PGA superseded or preceded by other PGA(s) during these years

PGA	Code	81	85	89	93	97	01	05	09	13	17	22	25	Total
ASA	ASA	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
AUS	AUS		•	•	•	3
COK	COK	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	12
FSM	FSM					•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	8
FIJ	FIJ	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
PYF	PYF	•	•	•	•	•	•		•	•		•	•	10
GUM	GUM	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	11
KIR	KIR	•	•			•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	10
MHL	MHL		•					•		•	•		•	5
NRU	NRU		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	11
NCL	NCL	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
NZL	NZL		•		•	2
NIU	NIU		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•			9
NFK	NFK	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
NMI	NMI	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	11
PLW	PLW					•	•	H	•	•	•	•	H	8
PNG	PNG	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
SAM	SAM	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
SOL	SOL	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
TKL	TKL								•	•	•		•	4
TGA	TGA	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	12
TUV	TUV							•	•	•	•	•	•	6
VAN	VAN	•	•	•	H	•	•	•	•	•	H	•	•	12
WLF	WLF	•	•	•		•		•	•	H	•	•	•	10
Pacific Logo.svg Independent PGC Athletes [^]	IPA										^			1

;Name change notes

;Participation notes |Australia are not a member of the PGC. They compete as invites. |New Zealand are not a member of the PGC. They compete as invites.

All-time medal table

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.

References

|access-date=7 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007220322/http://www.cookislandsnews.com/sport/other-sports/item/58302-vanuatu-committed-to-2017-pacific-mini-games/58302-vanuatu-committed-to-2017-pacific-mini-games |archive-date=7 October 2017

Sources

{{cite report |access-date= 15 May 2015 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015358/http://www.sportingpulse.com/pics/20/02/200259_firstfileFILE.pdf |archive-date= 28 September 2007

References

[http://www.cinews.co.ck/local.htm#9 Stadium and China loan on hold] {{Webarchive. link. (8 February 2013 ''Cook Islands News Online'', 12 September 2007)
(11 March 2008). "Stadium for Mini Games in Cooks gets go-ahead". [[Radio New Zealand]].
(1 December 2017). "Tahiti athletes to compete under neutral banner". The Vanuatu Independent.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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