Light hearted rivalry and plenty of laughs were the highlight of the traditional games on the opening day of the Manea Games in Mangaia yesterday.

Tupe (disc throwing), rore (stilt races), lime juggling and rangaranga (weaving) were the four events that Manea Games athletes competed in with coconut husking scrapped due to a delayed programme.

The game of tupe was the first event that took the better part of Monday afternoon to complete due to the challenging nature of the sport.

Tupe demands superior hand-eye coordination and spot on aim.

Athletes had to toss a wooden disc on to a mat woven from kikau fronds two metres away with each disc landing on the target earning the athlete a point and the first athlete to land 5 discs was declared the winner.

But the game proved more difficult than most athletes first anticipated and the closest game was that between Aitutaki and Mangaia.

Aitutaki sports president Rere Mataiti had all the skill necessary to win his game 5-3 with an edgy Mangaia crowd creating an intense atmosphere for the entertaining game.

The rore or stilt races were once again the most popular game which was run in a sprint race format and a wrestling scenario.

In the wrestling division athletes on stilts had to knock their opponents off their stilts a real crowd pleaser.

Lemons used in the juggling game were then taken to the kitchen for the raw fish dinner and the kits woven were carried off as recycling bags by the teams.

Winning traditional game athletes will also receive medals however exactly how these will be presented is still being figured out.

Last night table tennis players took to the tables and they will continue today along with volleyball and darts.

Light hearted rivalry and plenty of laughs were the highlight of the traditional games on the opening day of the Manea Games in Mangaia yesterday.

Tupe (disc throwing), rore (stilt races), lime juggling and rangaranga (weaving) were the four events that Manea Games athletes competed in with coconut husking scrapped due to a delayed programme.

The game of tupe was the first event that took the better part of Monday afternoon to complete due to the challenging nature of the sport.

Tupe demands superior hand-eye coordination and spot on aim.

Athletes had to toss a wooden disc on to a mat woven from kikau fronds two metres away with each disc landing on the target earning the athlete a point and the first athlete to land 5 discs was declared the winner.

But the game proved more difficult than most athletes first anticipated and the closest game was that between Aitutaki and Mangaia.

Aitutaki sports president Rere Mataiti had all the skill necessary to win his game 5-3 with an edgy Mangaia crowd creating an intense atmosphere for the entertaining game.

The rore or stilt races were once again the most popular game which was run in a sprint race format and a wrestling scenario.

In the wrestling division athletes on stilts had to knock their opponents off their stilts a real crowd pleaser.

Lemons used in the juggling game were then taken to the kitchen for the raw fish dinner and the kits woven were carried off as recycling bags by the teams.

Winning traditional game athletes will also receive medals however exactly how these will be presented is still being figured out.

Last night table tennis players took to the tables and they will continue today along with volleyball and darts.