Papua New Guinea showcased to the world that it can host international events on home soil with a spectacular opening ceremony of the XV Pacific Games in Port Moresby last night.
The night extravaganza of traditional and modern performance closed at 21:45pm, as PNG Commonwealth gold medalist DIka Toua climbed 50 steps to deliver the relay baton which has travelled throughout the country in the last 100 days.
Later, fireworks light the sky, with the Games declared open.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill was a happy man, declaring that all “sporting facilities built (for the Pacific Games) are world class.”
He also wished good luck to the 4000 athletes who will be competing in the next two weeks, and encouraged them to take the PNG experience back with them to their own countries.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Games Council President Vidyah Lakan proclaimed that the 2015 Port Moresby Games could be the greatest ever.
Prince Andrew passed on greetings to the athletes from the head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth.
Security before, during and after the closing ceremony was well organised, with many spectators freely walking into the BSP (Sir John Guise) Stadium and leaving at the end of the opening ceremony.
Port Moresby has shown its Pacific neighbours that PNG means business in trying to top the medal tally for only the second time in the Games’ history.
PNG only came first in medal ranking during the 1991 Pacific Games which was hosted on home soil.