Pacific Games 2023: How to watch, nations participating, schedule, and more?

Honiara, Solomon Islands is all set to host the Pacific Games 2023, from November 19 to December 2, 2023. This is the first time that the Solomon Islands will play as the host of the Games. Although the official opening ceremony of the 17th edition of the Games is planned to be held on November 19, the sports action will begin two days earlier, on November 17, with competitions in four sports.

The Pacific Games 2023 will see participation from 24 teams representing various countries and territories of the region. They will compete in a total of 346 events, spread across 27 different sports disciplines. The event will witness 22 member nations of the Pacific Games Council, competing alongside Australia and New Zealand, who have been invited to participate. Historically, Australia and New Zealand were not part of the Pacific Games until 2015 due to concerns over their potential dominance in various sports. The countries continue to send limited delegations to maintain the competitive balance.

The Pacific Games 2023 will also be offering direct qualification spots for the Paris Olympics 2024 in specific sports like archery and boxing. Originally set to be held from July 16 to July 29, the Games were postponed to a later date in 2023, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The motto of the Pacific Games 2023, this time, is Challenge, Celebrate, Unite.

Participating nations

The nations and territories that are taking part in the Pacific Games 2023 are as follows-

American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands (Host), Tahiti, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

Schedule for the Pacific Games 2023

Opening Ceremony – November 19
Archery – November 21 to 24
Athletics – November 27 to December 2
Basketball – November 17 to 25
Basketball 3X3 – November 29 to December 2
Beach Volleyball – November 28 to December 2
Bodybuilding – November 27
Boxing – November 28 to December 2
Football – November 17 to December 2
Golf – November 22 to 25
Hockey – November 28 to December 1
Judo – November 20 to 21
Karate – November 23 to 24
Kayak – November 27 to 30
Netball – November 27 to December 2
Powerlifting – November 28 to 30
Rugby League Nines – November 20 to 22
Rugby Sevens (Union) – November 23 to 25
Sailing – November 20 to December 2
Swimming – November 20 to 25
Table Tennis – November 20 to 25
Taekwondo – November 28 to 29
Tennis – November 17 to 30
Touch Rugby – November 27 to December 2
Triathlon – November 29 to December 1
Va’a (outrigger canoe) – November 27 to December 1
Volleyball – November 17 to 25
Weightlifting – November 20 to 24
Closing Ceremony – December 2

Where to watch the Pacific Games 2023?

The following is the list of broadcasters for the Pacific Games 2023:

Australia – SBS, NITV
Solomon Islands – SIBC TV, TTV
New Caledonia, Tahiti (French Polynesia), Wallis and Futuna – France Télévisions
Papua New Guinea – NBC
Fiji – Fiji TV
Samoa – SBC TV1
Vanuatu – VBTC
Tonga – Tonga Broadcasting Corporation

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