Pacific Games 2023 open with spectacular ceremony: Home weightlifting legend Jenly Tegu Wini carries the flag for the Solomon Islands
The nation's only Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who competes the very next morning, had the honour ahead of her fourth and final Pacific Games.
The 2023 Pacific Games were officially opened with a spectacular Opening Ceremony in Honiara, Solomon Islands on Sunday (19 November).
The athletes parade featured a number of cultural performances with Kiribati’s group dance and the New Zealand and Tahiti hakas delighting the crowd inside the Solomon Islands National Stadium.
The spectators joined in as well, waving small flags of each of the nations as they entered the stadium.
Australia were one of the first teams out with archery Olympic medallist Ryan Tyack their flagbearer.
With close to 600 athletes, Fiji has the biggest team at these Pacific Games. And they performed a Cibi war dance after making their way to the centre of the infield.
Papua New Guinea have just under 500 athletes making them the second biggest team in the Solomon Islands. And they made themselves heard with some group chanting as tennis player Matthew Stubbings and football captain Ramona Padio waved the flag.
Tonga also have a big team with a handful of male athletes following the lead of Rio 2016 flagbearer Pita Taufatofua by arriving with bare oiled chests and wearing traditional ta’ovalas wrapped around their waists.
Taufatofua, who was Tonga’s sole competitor at PyeongChang 2018 in cross-country skiing, is one of the coaches of the nation’s taekwondo team in the Solomon Islands.
The biggest cheer was reserved for the home nation whose athletes came out last.
Their flagbearer was two-time weightlifting Olympian and the country’s sole Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jenly Tegu Wini.
About 18 hours after the Opening Ceremony, the 40-year-old will be going for gold in her fourth and final Pacific Games.
After the athletes parade came a number of choreographed displays representing the hundreds of Solomon Islands, featuring song, dance and a blessing of the Games.
As performers held huge frames of canoes, a number of Solomon Islands’ sporting greats – including their first Pacific Games gold medallist Jim Marau and footballer Bartram Suri – brought in the Pacific Games flag to mark the 60th anniversary of the inaugural South Pacific Games.
As the festivities continued, the official Mascot of the Games - a leatherback turtle named Solo - made its entrance accompanied by the national sporting song, "Go Solo Go" having travelled across the whole of the Solomon Islands in baton relay.
The country's Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare gave an emotional speech which concluded with him saying, "It is now our honour to hand the Games over to the athletes of the Pacific. Challenge yourselves. Celebrate our Pacific diversity. And unite our region. May God bless and protect you as you participate in the 2023 Pacific Games. All glory be to God."
Then came a rousing performance of the anthem of the Games, 'This Is Our Time' written by Joseph Manemaka followed by the end of the baton relay.
Former sprinter Marau had the honour of being the last holder, placing the paddle-shaped baton into a ceremonial waterfall - which will flow for the duration of the event - as Sogavare declared the Games open.