The 14th edition of the Pacific Games officially gets underway in New Caledonia today.
Football is the first sport in action, before the opening ceremony this evening at the Numa Daly stadium.
Vinnie Wylie reports from Noumea.
"The Tuvalu and American Samoa men's teams will square off in the first competitive fixture of the 2011 Games at 9am local time at the Riviere Salee ground, with a further four mens fixtures throughout the day, including defending champions New Caledonia against Vanuatu. The women's football competition also begins this morning, at the PLGC stadium, with 2007 winners Papua New Guinea first up against Tahiti. Then tonight about three and a half thousand athletes from 22 countries and territories will file into the Numa Daly stadium in Noumea, where the Games will be officially opened by the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy."