Pacific / Vanuatu

Sport: Pacific Mini Games officially underway

07:16 am on 4 December 2017

Flags fly at the Mini-Games in Port Vila Photo: RNZI / Vinnie Wylie

Three sports are in the spotlight on the first full day of competition at the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu.

Athletes from 24 countries and territories will contest 14 different sports over the coming 12 days.

The athletes were formally welcomed to Vanuatu at a ceremony in the capital of Port Vila on Sunday, which featured a range of cultural performances, including a rousing rendition of the Mini Games theme song "Ignite the Spirit Within".

Football, tennis and table tennis take centre stage today.

Two days after the men got an early start, all four women's football teams will square off at the Port Vila Stadium, with Fiji facing Tonga in the morning before hosts Vanuatu take on Solomon Islands in the afternoon clash.

Meanwhile the men's and women's team events get underway in both tennis and table tennis.

The opening ceremony for the games will take place tonight at the Korman Stadium.