2003 South Pacific Games
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Pacific Games were held in Suva
, Fiji
from 28 June to 12 July 2003. They are also known as the XII South Pacific Games.
The Games were the 12th Pacific Games to be held since the event's inception and were the 40th anniversary of their beginnings in 1963. It was also the third time in the event's history that they had been hosted in Suva. For the first time, the Games included both traditional multi-sport event
disciplines such as athletics and swimming
together with region-specific and smaller events such as outrigger canoe
ing, surfing
and lawn bowls.
funding aided by a $16 million aid package from the People's Republic of China
saw the construction of a new gym
nasium and indoor sports center, swimming pool
and stadium, field hockey
pitch and stands as well as the upgrading of existing facilities for other sports.
A strong corporate sponsorship package (including some 20 corporate sponsors), a first for the games, enabled the organizers to expand the scope of the event. A colorful media and publicity campaign - including the Games' mascot Tau (meaning "friend" in Fijian) - generated interest and enthusiasm amongst the Fijian public. Schools and youth groups were involved in interactive programs such as the adopt-a-country program.
The 2003 SPG were the biggest Games to date. There were some 300 medal ceremonies with over 860 presentations and 2,300 individual medals.
and went on to top the athletics
medal count to add to their best-ever medal haul at the SPG. Guam
retained its place in baseball
winning their second SPG gold medal. The cricket
final saw Papua New Guinea
overcome Fiji by a single run for the gold medal.
Fijian athletics dominated the athletics events winning a total of 19 gold medals. Makelesi Bulikiombo, the Fijian flag-bearer in the opening ceremony
, won 5 gold medals and broke 4 games records. Fiji also took gold, silver and bronze in the each of the men's and women's 100m and 200m and both gold and silver in the 400m.
The football competition was one of the sports to be held in venues other than Suva. Fiji won the men's final beating New Caledonia
while Papua New Guinea took the first-ever women's football gold medal in a round robin format.
Continuing their domination at the games, Fiji won a further gold in the first-ever women's field hockey
competition at the SPG.
The Pacific region-specific sports of outrigger canoe
ing were contested between Tahiti
and New Caledonia
and Tonga
and Tahiti surfed to gold at the Tavarua
breaks.
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
from 28 June to 12 July 2003. They are also known as the XII South Pacific Games.
The Games were the 12th Pacific Games to be held since the event's inception and were the 40th anniversary of their beginnings in 1963. It was also the third time in the event's history that they had been hosted in Suva. For the first time, the Games included both traditional multi-sport event
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
disciplines such as athletics and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
together with region-specific and smaller events such as outrigger canoe
Outrigger canoe
The outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...
ing, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
and lawn bowls.
Organisation
Fijian governmentPolitics of Fiji
Politics of Fiji takes place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. Fiji has a multi-party system with the Prime Minister of Fiji as head of government. The executive power is exercised by the government...
funding aided by a $16 million aid package from the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
saw the construction of a new gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and indoor sports center, swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and stadium, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
pitch and stands as well as the upgrading of existing facilities for other sports.
A strong corporate sponsorship package (including some 20 corporate sponsors), a first for the games, enabled the organizers to expand the scope of the event. A colorful media and publicity campaign - including the Games' mascot Tau (meaning "friend" in Fijian) - generated interest and enthusiasm amongst the Fijian public. Schools and youth groups were involved in interactive programs such as the adopt-a-country program.
The 2003 SPG were the biggest Games to date. There were some 300 medal ceremonies with over 860 presentations and 2,300 individual medals.
Results
Hosts Fiji won the first gold medals of the games in women's archeryArchery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
and went on to top the athletics
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
medal count to add to their best-ever medal haul at the SPG. Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
retained its place in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
winning their second SPG gold medal. The cricket
Cricket at the 2003 South Pacific Games
Cricket at the 2003 South Pacific Games was contested by six teams. The gold medal was won by Papua New Guinea.-First round:The six participating teams were placed into one pool. Papua New Guinea won all five of their matches, including a match against New Caledonia where they scored more than 500...
final saw Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
overcome Fiji by a single run for the gold medal.
Fijian athletics dominated the athletics events winning a total of 19 gold medals. Makelesi Bulikiombo, the Fijian flag-bearer in the opening ceremony
Opening ceremony
An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...
, won 5 gold medals and broke 4 games records. Fiji also took gold, silver and bronze in the each of the men's and women's 100m and 200m and both gold and silver in the 400m.
The football competition was one of the sports to be held in venues other than Suva. Fiji won the men's final beating New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
while Papua New Guinea took the first-ever women's football gold medal in a round robin format.
Continuing their domination at the games, Fiji won a further gold in the first-ever women's field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
competition at the SPG.
The Pacific region-specific sports of outrigger canoe
Outrigger canoe
The outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...
ing were contested between Tahiti
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
and Tahiti surfed to gold at the Tavarua
Tavarua
Tavarua is a heart shaped island in Fiji. It has an area of . The island is close to the main Fijian isand, Viti Levu, and is surrounded by a coral reef....
breaks.