The mascot for 2011, Joemy, was unveiled on 27 August 2009 after a public vote by mail, email, fax and SMS (with nearly 8,000 voters).

Her name was intended as an "invitation", chosen for its proximity to the local Drehu word troemi (pronounced "chôémi" which means "come") and the English phrase "join me".

The colour blue was chosen as representing the ocean surrounding all of the 22 island countries taking part in the Games.

There were 12 compulsory sports, with 10 having to be staged for both men and women (athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, golf, swimming, table tennis, tennis, va’a outrigger canoeing, volleyball, weightlifting), and a further 2 having to be staged for men (football and rugby sevens) that were optional women's events.

[6] The remaining (up to) 16 sports were to be selected from: archery, badminton, baseball, bodybuilding, boxing, cricket, cycling, team handball, judo, karate, power lifting, sailing, shooting, squash, surfing, taekwondo, and triathlon.