Pacific Mini Games: All you need to know

Koror, Palau, is buzzing with excitement as athletes from across the Pacific come together for one of the region’s biggest sporting events - the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, taking place from Sunday, 29 June to Wednesday, 9 July.

The event will feature around 1500 athletes, representing 24 teams from different countries and territories, competing in 14 sports.

Organisers believe it is a "fantastic opportunity" for athletes from Oceania to showcase their talents, win medals, and earn bragging rights among their peers.

The Pacific Mini Games are open to all members of the Pacific Games Council, with special invitations extended to teams from New Zealand and Australia.

Both countries first joined the Games in 2017, partly due to concerns about their potential dominance in competitions.

This year marks the second time Palau will host the Pacific Mini Games - the first being in 2005. During that edition, New Caledonia topped the medal table and will aim to do so again this time around.

The Palau Track & Field stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Photo/Island Times

But before any medals can be awarded, the event will kick off with an opening ceremony on 29 June at the National Stadium in Koror.

If you want to know more about the Pacific Mini Games 2025, including which sports will be featured, the schedule of events, and how to catch the action live, keep reading!

What are the Pacific Mini Games?

The Pacific Mini Games is a multi-sport competition designed for smaller island nations in the region. With a smaller number of sports, it allows more countries to host and gives athletes a chance to compete in another major event besides the Olympic Games and the bigger Pacific Games.

Held every four years, much like the Olympic Games, the Pacific Mini Games happens the year after the Olympics. This year's edition is the 12th since the first Games was held in the Solomon Islands in 1981.

There will be events for both able-bodied athletes and para-athletes, featuring popular regional sports like the va’a (outrigger canoeing), as well as Olympic sports such as athletics, judo, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, and more.

Participation is open to the 22 member nations of the Pacific Games Council and the invited teams from Aotearoa and Australia.

President Surangel Whipps Jnr joined athletes, leaders, and the community to celebrate the opening of 11 newly upgraded venues for the Pacific Mini Games earlier this month. Photo/Office of the President, Republic of Palau

Who are the members of the Pacific Games Council?

Here are the members of the Pacific Games Council that will be competing, with the ones in bold also participating in the Olympics.

• American Samoa

• Cook Islands

• Federated States of Micronesia

• Fiji

• Guam

• Kiribati

• Marshall Islands

• Nauru

• New Caledonia

• Niue

• Norfolk Island

• Northern Mariana Islands

• Palau

• Papua New Guinea

• Sāmoa

• Solomon Islands

• Tahiti

• Tokelau

• Tonga

• Tuvalu

• Vanuatu

• Wallis and Futuna

Which sports are included in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games?

Below, you will find the full sports programme for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, along with the competition dates for each sport.

• Opening Ceremony: 29 June

• Archery: 1-3 July

• Athletics: 4-5 July and 7-9 July

• Baseball: 30 June to 5 July and 7-8 July

• Basketball 3x3: 1-3 July, 5 July and 7-9 July

• Beach Volleyball: 2-5 July and 7-8 July

• Judo: 7-8 July

• Softball: 30 June to 5 July and 7-8 July

• Swimming: 30 June to 5 July

• Table Tennis: 2-5 July

• Triathlon: 7-9 July

• Va’a: 30 June to 4 July

• Volleyball: 30 June to 5 July and 7-8 July

• Weightlifting: 2-5 July

• Wrestling: 30 June to 2 July

• Closing Ceremony: 9 July

PMN Sports correspondent James Nokise will be leading our coverage of the Mini Games from Koror.