What are the Pacific Games?
The Pacific Games are the multi-sport games of the Pacific island nations and territories — some 24 members from Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa to New Caledonia, Tahiti and Guam. The 2027 edition in Pirae, Tahiti expects around 4,500 athletes in 24 sports.[1] [2]
Who organizes the Pacific Games?
The Pacific Games Council, the association of the region's games associations and Olympic committees, owns the Games; a smaller Pacific Mini Games runs between editions.[1] [3]
When and where are they held?
Every four years. Tahiti hosts the 2027 Games on 24 July – 7 August — its third hosting after 1971 and 1995; Honiara, Solomon Islands staged the 2023 edition.[2] [3]
Since when do they exist?
First held in Suva, Fiji in 1963 as the South Pacific Games, the event took its current name from 2011 and has been the region's sporting summit for six decades.[1]
How do athletes qualify?
Athletes are selected and entered by their national games associations and Olympic committees, with per-sport standards — swimming, for example, publishes qualification times for the Games.[2] Australia and New Zealand participate in selected sports by invitation.[1]
Why do the Pacific Games matter?
For the Pacific island nations, the Games are the premier international title and a principal Olympic-pathway stage — national records, continental rankings and Olympic universality selections all run through Pacific Games performance.[1] [2]
Who competes?
National teams of the ~24 member nations and territories — around 4,500 athletes expected in Tahiti 2027, the region's largest sporting gathering.[2]
References
- World Squash — Squash to feature at Pirae 2027, Tahiti. Accessed August 2026.
- Guam Aquatics — 2027 Pacific Games qualification time standards. Accessed August 2026.
- Tahiti 2027 — official site. Accessed August 2026.