Athletics competitions at the 1979 South Pacific Games were held in Suva, Fiji, between August 29 – September 8, 1979. A total of 37 events were contested, 22 by men and 15 by women.
Picture: Samu Yavala won the men’s 100m final at the 1979 SPG in a time of 10.86s. He held several regional and national athletics records, some of which stood for more than 20 years.
Overall Medal Tally
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | New Caledonia | 20 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
| 2 | Fiji | 8 | 7 | 5 | 20 |
| 3 | French Polynesia | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | PNG | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 |
| 5 | Guam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | New Hebrides | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Tonga | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Western Samoa | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | Wallis and futuna | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Solomon Islands | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 11 | Cook Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |