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Solomon Islands plunged into a deadly inter-wantok conflict in 1998 (Nanau, 2011) that continued for 5 years until the Pacific Islands Forum requested the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to intervene. Thousands were displaced and at least 200 lives lost in this conflict. We call it an inter-wantok tension because it involved wantok groups (language and kinship groups), which has become known in Solomon Islands as ‘the Ethnic Tensions’ or simply as ‘the Tension’. The conflict deeply divided the country along wantok lines while appealing to artificial provincial identities created by the modern nation state. The country is still recuperating from its effects, and in this context, how can Solomon Islands promote unity, equality and peaceful coexistence? This question formed the basis of our research. We investigated sports as a neglected path to genuinely encourage patriotism and social cohesion in the country. We generated primary data with the aid of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), a consensus building tool. This chapter reports the research findings and suggestions on how sports can be used to help unite the nation and promote national identity. These include short-term measures, medium-term strategies and inclusive approaches to encourage and nurture patriotism and social cohesion in post-conflict Solomon Islands. The research project investigates, firstly, policy statements and implementation in sports development in Solomon Islands. Secondly, it determines the role sports could play in advancing national consciousness in a culturally diverse and fragmented society. Thirdly, it recommends strategies through which sports could be harnessed to promote patriotism, peace-building and unity.

The authors of this chapter emphasise the importance of addressing the well-being of Pacific Island rugby players. Indeed, the need to consider players' physical and mental well-being, cultural identity, spirituality and socio-economic challenges is underscored. The personal background and lived experiences of the first author, who identifies as Pasifika and has a wealth of experience as a professional rugby player, as the captain of Fiji at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and founder of Pacific Rugby Players, add a unique perspective to the discussion. The authors advocate for a deeper understanding of what constitutes holistic well-being from a Pacific perspective. They suggest the need to embrace cultural awareness and incorporate cultural practices within rugby team environments to foster inclusivity and enhance players' well-being. The authors reveal the challenges of balancing cultural expectations and the demands of professional rugby within multicultural contexts. Further, the authors acknowledge the stress, anxiety and mental health challenges that can arise from the pressure to succeed in the sport and the role of being the primary breadwinner for their family and communities. The aim of this chapter is twofold. First, to introduce well-being models currently discussed within the literature, specifically Pacific and Māori conceptions of well-being. Second, to provide recommendations as to how coaches and administrators could apply the well-being models with the aim of enhancing the well-being of professional rugby players who identify as Pasifika, specifically their spiritual well-being.

This chapter presents the first sociological study of outrigger canoe racing, or va'a, in Fiji, a sport deeply embedded in Pacific seafaring heritage. It begins with a brief history of va'a in Fiji, which emerged in the 1980s as part of a postcolonial ‘revival’ of indigenous cultural practices. The chapter subsequently examines the paddling community's notable inclusivity (in terms of gender, ethnicity, age and body shape), persisting exclusivity (in terms of class and geographical location) and dynamic engagement with the sport's cultural anchoring. A key contention of this chapter is that va'a, in its ongoing social construction, has become simultaneously a competitive sport with modern equipment and structures, a hip and cool recreational activity and a cohesive community with shared commitment to the relational value of the ocean, notwithstanding long-standing power differentials. The sport is hence positioned as integral to living, evolving culture rather than timeless indigeneity.

This chapter establishes the case for the integration of traditional sports and games (TSGs) into formal education in the Pacific and uses the Cook Islands cultural art of tivaevae as a conceptual model for setting out how this integration can take place. This chapter explains some of the features of TSGs and suggests the educational and social benefits that can accrue from including these activities in formal education in Pacific Island countries. The discussion outlines some TSGs played in the Pacific outside the formal physical education (PE) curriculum, such as coconut climbing and husking, canoe paddling and stilt walking. Activities like these are shown to be a vital way of connecting Pacific Islanders with their cultural history, knowledge, values and a medium to affirm their cultural identity. The potential of TSGs in this respect has become especially important at a time when it can be challenging for many in the Pacific to access their cultural inheritance. The introduction of the tivaevae model into Cook Islands health and PE curriculum in 2004 is noted, followed by an exploration of the value of this model as a guiding framework for the integration of TSGs into formal education in the Pacific.

Despite a surge of writing on sport in the islands of the Pacific, contemporary scholarship has remained tightly focused on those sports (men) most visible on the global stage today. Other games and sports, other players and other times have yet to receive the same attention. This chapter represents an initial effort to redress some of these omissions by exploring the past and present of cricket in the region. While cricket was the first successful ludic import to the Pacific, the game owes its significance there to more than mere longevity. Introduced by British ‘agents of empire’ in the long 19th century, cricket was – in the hands of Islanders – transformed into distinctive local forms such as Trobriand cricket and Samoan kirikiti. Explaining and theorising these changes to the game's method and meaning, I argue, provides a framework for understanding other indigenous and indigenised sporting practices in the region and beyond. A focus on cricket also enables us to interrogate sport's significance in the daily lives of not only elite male athletes but also a more diverse cast of Islanders – most notably women and girls. In these and other ways, the example of cricket demonstrates the value of looking back to historicise sport's significance and beyond the ‘usual sporting suspects’. By looking back and beyond, we can move towards a broader and deeper perspective of sporting cultures in the region.

The Pacific Island nation of Fiji, spanning 100s of islands, has been characterised by both geographical and ethnic divisions between, mainly, Indigenous Fijians and Fijians of Indian descent. The latter took shape in quite blatant forms in the island nation's historical tendency towards ethnic politics but has also been enacted across its sporting traditions. Today, while ethnic politics still exists to a degree, encouraged by ethnopolitical entrepreneurs, the reality is more nuanced. Divisions remain not only along the popularised lines of ethnicity but also across hierarchical, class and gender boundaries that have received somewhat less scholarly attention. This nuance is visible in the performance and packaging of Fijian sport and through the meanings that local people attach to it. This chapter, therefore, draws upon the experience of ethnographic fieldwork within and across Fijian subcultures with a focus on rugby and soccer. Inclusive of participant observation and interviews with diverse Fijian sporting stakeholders from differing intersections of local sport and society, the key threads above will be untangled to reveal a more three-dimensional and collective impression of contemporary Fiji.

This chapter explores the critical role of sport in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the South Pacific context, focusing particularly on socio-economic and environmental challenges, with an emphasis on climate change action. We explored how sports, and education through sports, can contribute to climate action in Vanuatu and other Pacific Islands. Vanuatu serves as a case due to its shared vulnerabilities with many Pacific Islands, such as a small economy heavily dependent on climate-sensitive sectors like tourism and agriculture, reliance on natural resources for livelihoods, a young population and substantial foreign aid dependence. Additionally, Vanuatu has well established and accessible policies on sports, sustainable development, climate action and youth engagement. Given its climate vulnerability, Vanuatu places significant emphasis on sustainable development practices and policies. We examined the alignment between Vanuatu's sport policies and SDGs-related policies, underlining the necessity for policy coherence to harness sports as a force for sustainable development. This chapter serves as a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers and practitioners interested in the dynamic relationship between sport and the SDGs in the Pacific Islands, offering valuable insights and recommendations for harnessing sports as a tool for promoting sustainable development in this region.