The 2019 Pacific Games was the sixteenth edition of the

Pacific Games The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), 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 wer ...

. The Games were held in

Apia, Samoa Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

, returning there for the first time since 2007. It was the third time overall that the Pacific Games were held in Samoa. The event was initially awarded to Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, but the Tongan government officially withdrew from hosting it in May 2017, amid concerns the country could face economic difficulties if it proceeded. These Games included an additional discipline for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, which is the 3x3 format, as well as the return of

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and

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

which were not on the 2015 Pacific Games program.

Host selection

First bidding process

In mid 2012, two cities were confirmed as serious bidders in hosting the 2019

. They were: *

Nukuʻalofa Nukualofa (; ) is the capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group. History First western records of Nukualofa On 10 June 1777, British captain James ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

and *

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

(

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

) The final presentations of the bids were made on 19 October 2012 in Wallis & Futuna. Tahiti's presentation was led by the country's Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, Tauhiti Nena; Tonga's was led by Crown Prince

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala Siaosi (George) Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho (born 17 September 1985) is the crown prince of Tonga. Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala became heir apparent to the throne in March 2012 upon the accession of his father, Tup ...

, by the President of the

Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

, Lord Tupou, and by Minister for Sports Lord Vaea.

Paea Wolfgramm Paea Wolfgramm (born December 1, 1969) is a Tongan retired boxer. Nicknamed "The Tongan Warrior", Wolfgramm won the Super Heavyweight silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, making him the first athlete from Tonga to win an Olympic medal. P ...

, Tonga's only Olympic medallist at that time (he had won a silver medal in boxing at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

), spoke of the promise of sports development and was the highlight of both presentations. Tonga had never hosted the Games; its bid to host the 2015 Games had been defeated by

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

's. Tahiti had hosted the Games twice, in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

and

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. In its bid, French Polynesia emphasised "its successful experiences of hosting international sporting events". It noted that its planned investments in sports infrastructures would "intensify sport practice of several tens of thousands of citizens and rise to the high-level several hundreds of young Polynesians", and suggested that the Games would "contribute to a better insertion of our country" into the Pacific region, highlighting the positive values of a shared "Polynesian soul". In his written submission to the Pacific Games Council in April 2012, Tongan Prime Minister Lord Tuʻivakano referred to his country's transition to democracy with the November 2010 general election, and suggested that awarding the Games to Tonga would "send a strong and unmistakable signal in support of democracy in our region". The then-Minister for Sports Sosefo Vakata asked the Council to grant the Games to a country that had not hosted them yet, in the name of equality and so that Tonga might enjoy "the benefits that other bigger economies in the region have enjoyed since the Game’s inception". He also reminded the Council that Tonga had the experience of having hosted the 1989 South Pacific Mini Games, though "nothing can equal the greatest gathering in the region which the Pacific Games is proud of". The country proposed an upgrade of its sports facilities, notably the

Teufaiva Stadium Teufaiva Sport Stadium which was previously known as ''Tenefaira Field Stadium'' is a multi-purpose stadium in Nukualofa, Tonga. It is used mostly for rugby union, football and rugby league and the Ikale Tahi team matches. The stadium holds 10,0 ...

for athletics, the Lototonga Football Complex, and the ‘Atele Indoor Stadium to host six sporting events. A new sports complex would be built at Lototonga for a number of other events, as would a Lototonga Aquatic Centre.Tongan bid for the 2019 Games
Pacific Games Council Following its successful bid, Tonga hoped for investments to build venues and facilities, particularly from China and Japan."Tonga to host 2019 Pacific Games"

ABC Radio Australia ABC Radio Australia, also known as Radio Australia, is the international broadcasting and online service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australia's public broadcaster. Most programming is in English, with some in Tok ...

, 19 October 2012

Tongan withdrawal

On Monday 15 May 2017 the Prime Minister announced that Tonga is to withdraw from hosting the 2019 Pacific Games amid concerns the country could face economic difficulties if it staged the event. A spokesman for the Tongan Cabinet told Kaniva News that Prime Minister

ʻAkilisi Pōhiva Samiuela ʻAkilisi Pōhiva (7 April 1941 – 12 September 2019) was a Tongan pro-democracy activist and politician. Pohiva, the leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands (DPFI), served as the Prime Minister of Tonga from 2014 to h ...

had decided to save the country from a "costly mistake".

Second bidding process

Apia Harbour View (30309183521) (cropped)

Following the withdrawal of Tonga as hosts, the Pacific Games Council set a deadline date (31 July 2017) of interested countries that would be willing to replace

. By the 31 July deadline, three countries expressed their interest in hosting the games. They are: *

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

(

)

Participating countries

Twenty-four nations competed at the 2019 games. Twenty-two Pacific Games Association members sent teams (the full complement of countries and territories), plus Australia and New Zealand.

Note: A number in parentheses indicate the size of a country's team (athletes and officials, if known).

Sports

A total of 26 sports were contested at this edition of the games.

Medal table

The medal tally of the 2019 Pacific Games:

Calendar

The following table provides a summary of the competition schedule.

Notes

Australia sent a team of 42 athletes. Guam: A team of 150 athletes and staff was sent to represent the territory in eleven disciplines at the games. New Caledonia sent 327 athletes. New Zealand sent 55 athletes.

References

{{Pacific Games Pacific Games by year

Pacific Games, 2019 2019 in Samoan sport International sports competitions hosted by Samoa Sport in Apia