Commonwealth Games: Pacific punches above its weight as Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati and PNG shine

Pacific nations have made their presence felt on the opening days of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea celebrating early victories across the competition.

From a dramatic lawn bowls upset by Tonga to breakthrough boxing wins for Kiribati and PNG, Pacific athletes have shown they can challenge some of the world’s best on the Commonwealth stage.

Tonga's women's pairs lawn bowls team produced one of the opening day's biggest surprises.

Paris Baker and Milika Nathan defeated South Africa in a dramatic tie-break after the teams shared the opening sets.

Fiji also celebrated an early victory in lawn bowls with Rajnesh Prasad defeating England's Sam Tolchard in a tight men's singles tie-breaker decider (8-3, 6-7, 1-0).

Niue's bowlers faced a tough opening schedule against some of the Games' strongest teams. Keith Papani and Stan Tatafu took on Scotland and South Africa in the men's competition while Christine Ioane and Catherine Papani opened their women's pairs campaign against Northern Ireland and Australia.

Team Fiji lawn bowls celebrate Rajnesh Prasad's win over England's Sam Tolchard. Photo/Commonwealth Games

Cook Islands bowlers also began sectional play. Former Commonwealth Games medallists are competing in the men's singles and women's pairs.

Niue's men's triples team also pushed host nation Scotland in a close sectional match, eventually going down 14–10 after a strong contest on the greens.

Cook Islands veteran Teokotai Jim made a winning start in the women's singles, defeating Norfolk Island 21–15 in her opening match.

Tonga’s Paris Baker and Milika Nathan celebrate a stunning opening-day victory over South Africa in the women’s pairs lawn bowls at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Photo/TASANOC

Fiji's women's pairs team of Litia Tikoisuva and Loretta Kotoisuva also opened their campaign with a hard-fought 16–12 victory over Malaysia before falling short against Australia in their second match.

Pacific swimmers also produced strong performances in the pool.

Fiji's Anahira McCutcheon broke the Fiji Open Record twice in one day on her way to the women's 50m butterfly semi-finals. McCutcheon first set a new national mark with a qualifying time of 27.09 seconds before going even faster in the semi-finals, lowering the Fiji record again with a time of 27.01.

Other Fijian swimmers also represented the country strongly. Samuel Yalimaiwai competed in the men's 100m breaststroke while Don Younger and Fiji's men's 4x100m relay team also took to the pool.

Fiji’s Anahira McCutcheon breaks a national record in the pool. Photo/Team Fiji

David 'Tolu' Young recorded a personal best in the men's 50m butterfly to qualify as a reserve for the semi-finals. Hansel McCaig also impressed in the men's 100m breaststroke, finishing second in his heat.

Across the wider Pacific contingent, more strong performances followed in the pool.

Sāmoa's Lushavel Stickland produced a strong swim in the women's 100m backstroke, finishing third in her preliminary heat in a time of 1:04.12.

New Zealand have also opened their medal account in Glasgow. Erika Fairweather claimed silver in the women's 400m freestyle to become Aotearoa's first medallist of the 2026 Games.

Watch Team Pacific in Glasgow below.

Oceania Boxing said the opening day of competition highlighted the growing strength of the region, with athletes from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Zealand and Fiji all stepping into the ring in Glasgow.

Six of the opening 11 bouts featured Oceania boxers across the men's 55kg and 65kg divisions, with athletes showcasing the determination and talent coming through from across the region.

Kiribati's Eriu Temakau secured a win over Guernsey's Thomas Teers to progress to the next round, while Papua New Guinea's James Paul also advanced after defeating Bahamian boxer Rashield Williams.

New Zealand's Connor Campbell defeated Fiji's Ben Maukakala in the second round, but Oceania Boxing praised Maukakala and fellow Pacific representatives Ricksen Nomleas (Vanuatu), Clinton Tetekana (Solomon Islands) and De Niro Pao (Niue) for representing their countries on the Commonwealth Games stage.

Papua New Guinea boxer James Paul celebrates victory over Bahamian boxer Rashield Williams during the opening day of boxing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Paul delivered an impressive performance to advance in the men’s division. Photo/Oceania Boxing

Oceania Boxing said the performances reflected the resilience and growing confidence of Pacific athletes competing at the highest level.

Niue's five-member team have completed official weigh-ins and draw allocations ahead of the preliminary rounds.

Heavyweight Duken Tutakitoa-Williams, who carried the national flag during the opening ceremony, will be aiming for a strong start when he enters the ring.

Team Fiji's attention now turns to Pacific Games gold medallist Jone Davule, who will enter the ring in the 60kg division as the team continues its campaign in Glasgow.

Watch Kiribati boxer Eriu Temakau defeat Guernsey's Thomas Teers below.

The opening day showed the depth of Pacific talent across Glasgow as athletes from Niue, Cook Islands, Sāmoa and other nations also begin their campaigns across several sports.

Attention now turns to weightlifting. Some of the Pacific's strongest medal hopes are expected to take centre stage over the weekend.

Fiji's Taniela Rainibogi and Sāmoa's experienced weightlifting squad have completed their final preparations ahead of competition. Several Pacific athletes are among the leading contenders in their divisions.

Vanuatu also made Commonwealth Games history. Marek Sahi became the country's first-ever para-powerlifter to compete at the Games. Sahi successfully completed his opening lift of 135kg in the men's lightweight division.

Sāmoan weightlifter Iuniarra Sipaia, the team’s baton holder, meets King Charles III during the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. The moment marked a proud occasion for Team Sāmoa as Pacific nations joined athletes from across the Commonwealth to celebrate the start of the Games. Photo/Samoa Weightlifting Federation Inc.

Lifters from Nauru and Kiribati have also completed official weigh-ins ahead of their men's 61kg and 67kg weight divisions as competition continues over the weekend.

Pacific athletes continue their own medal campaigns across the opening days of competition.

Tonga are also preparing for another historic moment. The Tala are set to make their Commonwealth Games netball debut in pool play.

The opening day's results have already shown the Pacific can challenge much larger nations, with Tonga and Fiji providing an early boost for the region.

The 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games ends on 3 August (NZT). For more details, click here.