As professional sport returns to Australia and New Zealand with the easing of coronavirus restrictions, in the Solomon Islands there is only one sporting event on people's minds: the 2023 Pacific Games.
The capital city, Honiara, is set to host the largest sporting event in the region but before construction work starts, World War II bombs must first be removed.
The city is located on Guadalcanal Island, a former battleground for the allied offensive against the Japanese 77 years ago.
Reindhart Alalo, team leader for the unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance work, told the ABC his team was examining the ground to find remnants from the war and ensure their safe removal.
"So far, we have found lots of wreckage from World War II. We have found parts of planes and [more than 600] mostly small arms ammunition," Mr Alalo said.
"We scan the area 60 centimetres by 60 centimetres, then we dig. After that, we do another deep scan before we move on to the next area."
The UXO clearing team started work on the grounds last month, using machines that can scan up to six metres below the surface.
So far, as well as the plane parts, they are collecting around 200 shells per day.
'Heavy fighting area' set to be new running track
Ken Gross Smith, manager of the Pacific Games facilities, told the ABC warships fired in the direction of the King George VI School field in east Honiara, where the running tracks and multipurpose hall for the games are expected to be built.
He said students had been playing on the field for decades without realising the danger beneath their feet, as the unexploded ordnance could be triggered if disturbed or handled incorrectly.
"This used to be one of the battlefields [and] it was a heavy fighting area. This in fact used to be an airstrip," Mr Smith said, while gesturing to where construction is due to start.
"I understand that when the shell hits the ground it bends and comes up a bit, so any unexploded ones would still be under there.
"It takes time, costs money but in the end, it could save lives. So that's the most important thing: safety."
Any unexploded ammunition they find is collected by the police bomb squad and taken away to be destroyed.
Fifteen new facilities, including a stadium, aquatic centre and a futsal complex, will be built for the Pacific Games, most of them in east Honiara and mostly bankrolled by China.
The Solomon Islands Government is hoping the massive infrastructure work from the sporting event will give the local economy a much-needed boost.
The total cost of the games is around 2 billion Solomon dollars ($352 million) with 80 per cent of it to be funded by donors.
