XVI Pacific Games
Official logo of the Games
Host cityApia
CountrySamoa
MottoOne in Spirit
Nations24
Athletes~ 3,500
Events26 sports
Opening7 July 2019
Closing20 July 2019
Opened byVa'aletoa Sualauvi II
Main venueApia Park Stadium
Websitesamoa2019.ws

The 2019 Pacific Games was the sixteenth edition of the Pacific Games. The Games were held in Apia, Samoa,[1] 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.[2]

These Games included an additional discipline for basketball, which is the 3x3 format, as well as the return of archery and badminton 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 Pacific Games. They were:

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, by the President of the Tonga Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee, Lord Tupou, and by Minister for Sports Lord Vaea. Paea Wolfgramm, Tonga's only Olympic medallist at that time (he had won a silver medal in boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics), 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's. Tahiti had hosted the Games twice, in 1971 and 1995.[3][4][5]

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".[6]

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 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.[7]

Following its successful bid, Tonga hoped for investments to build venues and facilities, particularly from China and Japan.[3]

Tongan withdrawal

On Monday 15 May 2017 the Prime Minister announced that Tonga would 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 had decided to save the country from a "costly mistake".[8][9]

Second bidding process

Apia was selected as the host city of the 2019 Pacific Games

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 Tonga. By the 31 July deadline, three countries expressed their interest in hosting the games. They are:[10]

2019 Pacific Games bidding results
City Nation Votes
Apia Samoa Unanimous

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.[11][12]

Medal table

The medal tally of the 2019 Pacific Games:

  *   Host nation (Samoa)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1New Caledonia New Caledonia765551182
2 Papua New Guinea385735130
3 Samoa*384245125
4 Tahiti353945119
5 Fiji353843116
6 Australia3391456
7 Nauru1261634
8 Tonga951428
9 New Zealand810725
10 Vanuatu851225
11 Kiribati610925
12 Cook Islands55818
13 Solomon Islands4131936
14 Guam310619
15 Wallis and Futuna36211
16 Northern Mariana Islands3104
17 Norfolk Island2237
18 American Samoa15713
19 Niue1124
20 Tuvalu1113
21 Federated States of Micronesia1001
22 Marshall Islands0123
23 Tokelau0011
24 Palau0000
Totals (24 entries)322321342985

Calendar

The following table provides a summary of the competition schedule.

All dates are West Samoa Time (UTC+13) [13]
OCOpening ceremony ●Event competitions 1Event finals CCClosing ceremony
July 7
Sun		 8
Mon		 9
Tue		 10
Wed		 11
Thu		 12
Fri		 13
Sat		 14
Sun		 15
Mon		 16
Tue		 17
Wed		 18
Thu		 19
Fri		 20
Sat		 Events
CeremoniesOCCC
Archery ● 4 2 ● 4 10
Athletics 5 11 7 14 9 2 48
Badminton ● ● 1 ● ● 5 6
  3x3 basketball ● ● 2 2
  Basketball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
Boxing ● ● ● ● 13 13
Cricket ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
Football ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
Golf ● ● ● 4 4
Judo 7 7 4 18
Lawn Bowls ● ● 4 ● ● 4 8
Netball ● ● ● ● ● 1 1
Outrigger Canoeing 2 6 2 2 12
Powerlifting 10 5 15
Rugby League Nines ● 2 2
Rugby Sevens ● 2 2
Sailing ● ● ● ● 2 ● ● ● ● 4 6
Shooting 2 2 2 2 2 10
Squash ● ● ● 2 ● ● ● 2 ● ● 3 7
Swimming 2 9 8 8 6 9 42
Table Tennis ● ● 2 ● 1 8 11
Taekwondo 8 8 2 18
Tennis ● ● ● ● 2 ● ● ● ● 3 2 7
Touch Rugby ● ● 2 ● ● 1 3
Triathlon 3 3 6
  Beach volleyball ● ● ● ● 2 2
  Volleyball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
Weightlifting 12 9 9 12 18 60
July 7
Sun		 8
Mon		 9
Tue		 10
Wed		 11
Thu		 12
Fri		 13
Sat		 14
Sun		 15
Mon		 16
Tue		 17
Wed		 18
Thu		 19
Fri		 20
Sat		 Events

Notes

^ a Australia sent a team of 42 athletes.[14]

^ b Guam: A team of 150 athletes and staff was sent to represent the territory in eleven disciplines at the games.[15]

^ c New Caledonia sent 327 athletes.[16]

^ d New Zealand sent 55 athletes.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Samoa Set To Host Pacific Games In 2019". Pacific Islands Report. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "Tonga withdraws from hosting 2019 Pacific Games". insidethegames.biz. 15 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Tonga to host 2019 Pacific Games", ABC Radio Australia, 19 October 2012
  4. ↑ "Tonga to host 2019 Pacific Games", Matangi Tonga, 19 October 2012
  5. ↑ "PNG2015 - PAPUA NEW GUINEA WINS", Pacific Games Council, 1 April 2011
  6. ↑ French Polynesian bid for the 2019 Games, Pacific Games Council
  7. ↑ Tongan bid for the 2019 Games, Pacific Games Council
  8. ↑ "Tonga withdraws from hosting 2019 Pacific Games over costs". Stuff (Fairfax Media). 16 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "Tonga withdraws from hosting 2019 Pacific Games". insidethegames.biz. 15 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Samoa, Guam, Tahiti confirmed as bidders for 2019 Pacific Games - Pacific Beat - ABC Radio Australia".
  11. ↑ "Samoa confident of hosting a successful 2019 Pacific Games". PNG Facts. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "2019 Pacific Games program confirmed". Inside the Games. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Competition Schedule, Version 12" (PDF). Samoa 2019 Pacific Games. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2019.
  14. ↑ "Australian team announced for 2019 Pacific Games". Australian Olympic Committee. 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  15. ↑ Weiss, Matt (27 June 2019). "Guam set for Pacific Games in Samoa". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Liste des athlètes sélectionnés dans l'équipe de Nouvelle-Calédonie" (PDF). CTOS. 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ↑ "New Zealand team announced for 2019 Pacific Games". NZ Olympic Committee. 19 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
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