Despite swimming being a compulsory sport for the South Pacific Games, there was no facility built in Apia to host swimming events in 1983.[2][3] There were thirteen sports contested at the 1983 South Pacific Games:[4]
^d Postage stamps depicting athletics, netball, tennis, weightlifting, boxing, soccer, golf and rugby were issued by Samoa for the 1983 South Pacific Games.[8]
^e Fiji's women's basketball team won gold in 1983.[9]
^f Bowls: Fiji won gold in the women's pairs at Apia in 1983.[10]
^h The South Pacific Games Council announced in 1978 that squash would be included in the Games, and it was played in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 1991.[12] There were four gold medals on offer in 1983, for men's and women's individual and team events.[12] The men's individual event won by Fiji's Willie Valentine, and the women's team event won by PNG.[13] Fiji won silver in both men's and women's team events.[12]
^i Women's volleyball was played at the 1983 South Pacific Games.[14]
^"History". Fiji Swimming. 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
^"Apia: State of play for '83 Games". Pacific Islands Monthly. 53 (3). Pacific Publications: 23. 1 March 1982. Then, at a meeting in Solomon Islands last year, Western Samoa's representative managed to convince the majority of the South Pacific Games Council that swimming should be excluded because of the fear that Western Samoa might not be able to provide adequate pools in time or at all.