2014 Micronesian Games

VIII Micronesian Games
Host city Pohnpei
Country  F.S. Micronesia
Nations participating 10
Events 14 sports
Opening ceremony July 20, 2014
Closing ceremony July 30, 2014
<  2010 Koror

The 8th Micronesian Games were held from July 20 to July 30, 2014, in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).[1]

The Games began with an opening ceremony on the track and field grounds. They included "traditional war dances", and the unfurling of the Games flag in the air as it was delivered by parachute.[2]

At the close of the Games, Guam had topped the medal table, with eighty-one medals, of which forty-two gold.[3]

Participating countries

All Micronesian nations, states and territories took part. The host country was represented by four teams, one for each of its federated states: Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap. The other participants included four independent countries (Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau) and two unincorporated organised territories of the United States: the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.[1] The 2014 Games were the second hosted by the FSM, the 2002 Games having also taken place in Pohnpei State.[1]

The scheduling of the Games conflicted with the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which began on 23 July. Two Micronesian countries, Kiribati and Nauru, are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and thus had to split their athletes between the two events, both of which they were participating in. (See Kiribati at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Nauru at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.)[4]

Sports

Participants competed in fourteen sports, reportedly a record.[4] This includes football for the first time, with the explicit aim for some of the teams to improve their credentials and gain associate member status with FIFA.[4] At the time of the Games, the only Micronesian country or territory to be a member of FIFA was Guam.[5]

The sports were: athletics, baseball, basketball, football, the "Micronesian all-around", softball, spearfishing, swimming, volleyball, table tennis, tennis, va'a (canoeing), weightlifting, and wrestling.[1]

For results by sport, see:

Medal table

The final medal table was as follows. Only Kiribati failed to obtain any medals.[6]

 Rank  Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1Guam Guam42 27 12 81
2Pohnpei State Pohnpei36 41 37 114
3Palau Palau36 31 38 105
4Marshall Islands Marshall Islands34 23 33 90
5Yap State Yap17 23 15 55
6Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands14 15 5 34
7Kosrae Kosrae4 3 11 18
8Nauru Nauru3 9 5 17
9Chuuk State Chuuk3 4 9 16
Total 189 176 165 530

References