Sogavare apologised for not being able to attend the event in person, missing a parade that travelled from White River to the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport in Honiara.

"What we need to do in the next 365 days to make our country proud when we welcome our brothers and sisters from the 24 competing Pacific nations to the Opening Ceremony at our very own brand new national stadium," said Sogavare.

"I am very happy to tell you that we are on track to host the Games.

"We have seen the rapid progress in the construction of Games venues.

"The national stadium is the last to be handed over to the organising authority by around July 2023.

"All other venues will be completed and progressively handed over by June 2023.

"All Athletes' Villages will be completed by October 2023.

"We will have adequate time to conduct quality checks before the Opening Ceremony to ensure there are no hidden defects that can undermine the quality of the Games.

"There's no turning back from this point, only forwards."

All Chef de Missions from the nations are visiting the venue sites and Athletes' Villages today too.

"I thank our development partners who have shouldered the lions' share of the budget for the Games infrastructure and logistics," added Sogavare.

"The 2023 Pacific Games is the centre piece in the country's economic recovery."

He listed China, Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Japan and South Korea as the nations helping to fund the Games.

The 2023 Pacific Games were postponed by four months to allow more preparation due to complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Games are now scheduled to take place from November 19 to December 2 2023.

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee held its own celebration for the mark, with a donation of the Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games Relay Books to 11 libraries dedicated to early children development.