Athletes from the 20 Pacific nations were treated to a superb spectacle at the Oleai Sports Complex Track and Field in Saipan as the Games returned for the first time in five years.

The Games were last held in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila in 2017 and were due to take place last year only to be postponed to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Yutu.

The Opening Ceremony of North Mariana 2022 was attended by more than 1,800 athletes, officials, media, volunteers and support staff, according to the Saipan Tribune.

Students from Marianas High School and Saipan Southern High School sang the national anthems of the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States.

Marco Peter, chair of the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 Organising Committee, and Pacific Games Council President Vidhya Lakhan delivered speeches before Northern Mariana Islands Governor Ralph Torres declared the opening of the event.

There were also cultural performances from Chamorro Ensemble, Talabwogh Women and Refaluwasch Warriors before a stunning drone show that showed the pictograms of all nine sports that are set to feature at the Games.

Kurt Barnes, one of the organisers of the 1969 Micronesian Games, was handed the honour of lighting the Pacific Mini Games Cauldron to complete the last leg of the Torch Relay.

Competition continued in the baseball and tennis tournaments after they got underway yesterday.

There was plenty of tennis success for the host nation with Robbie Schorr and Colin Sinclair completing straight sets first-round victories.

Schorr also joined forces with Colin Ramsey as they defeated Kiribati’s Benjamin Kourabi and Aato Boari Torua 4-0, 4-2.

"Really good to get this under our belts and get into the tournament with a nice win against Kiribati," said Schorr in a report by the Saipan Tribune.

Home favourites Asia Raulerson and Isabel Herras also started their campaigns with women's singles victories before completing a 3-0 win over the Solomon Islands with doubles success.

Competition is due to continue tomorrow and is scheduled to conclude on June 25.