Sports in Australia
Sports in Australia are very popular and central to many aspects of local culture . The climate allows sporting activities throughout the year. Cricket is the most popular summer sport , while Australian rules football and rugby league dominate in winter, depending on the region . Some of the most popular sports are detailed below.
Australian football
see main article: Australian Football
Australian rules football (also known as Aussie rules or footy) is a two-team game. Each team has 18 players on the field. In the Premier League AFL there are 22 players on each side, who can be changed by the coaches as required without restrictions. The teams use a elliptical ball on a cricket - Oval or a similarly shaped square with four goal posts at each end. The object of the game is to kick the ball between two inside posts and score a goal worth six points. If the ball passes between an inside and an outside post (and an inside post can also be hit), a “behind” is scored that is only worth one point. The same applies if the ball passes between the two inner posts but touches one of the inner posts or the ball was touched by a defender before it was passed. The game differs from other types of football in the fast, relative free movement of the ball .
Australian rules, which originated in Melbourne , is the dominant winter sport in the regions where it is traditionally popular, namely Victoria , South Australia , Western Australia , the Northern Territory and Tasmania . It is becoming increasingly popular in Queensland and New South Wales with the recent successes of the Brisbane and Sydney teams . In these areas, a large part of the population shows intense interest in the competitions and attends many games. Typing games in this sport are an important basis for social interaction in the workplace.
The Australian Football League is the national competition that consists of a single league with 18 teams. The AFL was called the Victorian Football League until 1990 . Each state has its own local league and there are competitions for amateurs , children and women.
The Australian Football League consists of the following teams:
Adelaide Crows , Brisbane Lions , Carlton Blues (Melbourne), Collingwood Magpies (Melbourne), Essendon Bombers (Melbourne), Fremantle Dockers , Geelong Cats , Gold Coast Suns (Carrara), Greater Western Sydney Giants , Hawthorn Hawks (Melbourne), North Melbourne Kangaroos , Melbourne Demons , Port Adelaide Power , Richmond Tigers (Melbourne), St Kilda Saints (Melbourne), Sydney Swans , West Coast Eagles (Perth), Western Bulldogs (Melbourne).
basketball
The National Basketball League (NBL) was founded in 1978 and is the highest basketball league in Australia. It currently consists of the following eight teams:
Adelaide 36ers, Cairns Taipans, Gold Coast Blaze, Melbourne Tigers, New Zealand Breakers (Auckland / Nzl), Perth Wildcats, Townsville Crocodiles and Wollongong Hawks.
In the finals of the 2009/10 season, the team from Perth won against those from Wollongong. The champions of the 2008/09 season were the South Dragons, but they dropped out after the season.
When Luc Longley was drafted in 1991 , he was the first Australian in the NBA . As a center alongside Michael Jordan , he won three championships with the Chicago Bulls . Andrew Gaze , who was top scorer in the domestic NBL for 14 seasons, also got an NBA championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999, but was rarely used due to injuries. For a long time Andrew Bogut was the only Australian in the NBA. He has played as a center for the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors since 2005 . Meanwhile, Australians have established themselves in the NBA. The best known include Patty Mills , Aron Baynes , Matthew Dellavedova , Joe Ingles and Dante Exum . Mills and Baynes both became NBA champions with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
The top division for women is the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Lauren Jackson won the WNBA's Most Valuable Player award in 2003 and 2007 . She is considered one of the best basketball players in the world and became world champion with the Australian national team in 2006 .
Cricket
Cricket has a long history in Australia and is played locally, nationally and internationally. The Australian cricket team is considered one of the best in the world and dominated in the 1990s . The 1868 Aboriginal cricket tour of England was the first time a team played overseas. Since 1882 , The Ashes - one of the most important cricket tournaments of all - have been played against England twice in four years . In 1948 a team known as The Invincibles traveled to England with Captain Donald Bradman . Subsequent captains of the national team were Allan Border , Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh , Adam Gilchrist , Ricky Ponting and currently Steve Smith. The two bowlers Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath also played together for the Australian national team. Domestic inter-state competitions include the Sheffield Shield , One-Day Cup, and Big Bash League .
Soccer
The Australian Football Association , founded in 1961 , was one of the founding members of the Oceania Football Confederation in 1966 . In 2006 he switched to the Asian continental association . Australia applied unsuccessfully to host the 2022 World Cup , but hosted the Asian Cup in 2015 , which the country won for the first time. In the final, South Korea was defeated 2-1 in extra time.
The Australian national soccer team , nicknamed Socceroos , qualified for the World Cup finals in 1974 , 2006 , 2010 , 2014 and 2018 . In 2006 they made it to the second round, in which they lost 1-0 to eventual world champions Italy under controversial circumstances. In 2011 the Socceroos finished 2nd at the Asian Cup after a 1-0 defeat in the final against Japan . Before that, they had won the Oceania Championship four times .
The female counterpart to the Socceroos are the Matildas , who made it into the quarter-finals for the first time at the 2007 World Cup in China and only narrowly lost 3-2 to the eventual runner-up in Brazil . Also in 2011 in Germany the quarter-finals could be reached, in which they lost 3-1 to the later third Sweden . Previously, the Oceania Championship had been won three times and the Asian Championship in 2010 , and in 2014 they lost in the final.
With the A-League founded in 2004, Australia has a relatively young professional football league. She succeeded the previously existing semi-professional National Soccer League . The league consisted of ten teams in the 2011/12 season, and Wellington Phoenix , a club from New Zealand , has also been participating since 2007 . The Australian soccer champion is determined using a combined league / playoff system, similar to the one in the USA. First, the ten teams play a regular season with currently 27 games (three duels each against all other teams). Then the first six teams play a somewhat complicated playoff system, in which the champions are finally determined in the final. Acting Master is Brisbane Roar .
The term football can be ambiguous in Australia. Historically, the sport was called soccer , analogous to the USA , but today many official organizations and clubs (including the soccer association itself) use the term football in accordance with international customs.
In 2023, Australia and New Zealand will host the women's soccer World Cup .
golf
The Australian Open was first held in 1904 and is one of the most important annual golf tournaments in the PGA Tour of Australasia . The Royal Park Golf Club was one of the first golf clubs in Melbourne . One of the most famous Australian golfers is Greg Norman , who topped the world rankings in the 80s and 90s . Other well-known players are Stuart Appleby , Steve Elkington , Ian Baker-Finch , Nick O'Hern, Federico Nondolez and Karrie Webb .
hockey
Hockey is a popular professional sport in Australia. Traditional field hockey, played during the winter, is the most common form of the game, but indoor hockey is growing in popularity. At the highest level, Australian hockey teams have been very successful in the recent past. The women's national team won three Olympic gold medals in 1988 , 1996 and 2000 . The men's team won Olympic gold in 2004 , has been the reigning world champion since 2010 and is the record winner of the FIH Champions Trophy with eleven titles . The men's team last won the Hockey World Championship again on June 15, 2014 in The Hague. The women's team won the Women's Champions Trophy five times in a row in the 1990s and is record holder of six titles together with the Netherlands.
There are only a few competitions for other hockey sports such as ice hockey or inline hockey .
Motorsport
Motorsport is popular with spectators in Australia, although there are few athletes because of the relatively high cost. Most of the interest is in the V8 supercars , v. a. the Bathurst 1000 . Other classes are Formula 3 and Formula Holden (open wheel races), as well as superbikes and touring cars . There are some international races in Australia:
- Australian Grand Prix in Formula 1
- Australian Grand Prix as part of the Motorcycle World Championship
- Champ Car - Lexmark Indy 300
- Superbike World Championship
- World Rally Championship - Telstra Rally Australia
Jack Brabham is considered the best Australian racing driver. He won three Formula 1 world championships in 1959 , 1960 and 1966 and achieved a total of 14 Grand Prix victories. Alan Jones is the only Australian Formula 1 world champion next to Jack Brabham. He made it in 1980 as the first driver in a Williams.
Some of the best known Australian motorcycle racers include Wayne Gardner , Mick Doohan , Troy Bayliss , Troy Corser , Chris Vermeulen , Casey Stoner and Andrew Pitt . Doohan won the world championship five times in a row between 1994 and 1998 in the 500 cc class of the motorcycle world championship , Bayliss and Corser celebrated two world championships each in the superbike world championship. Casey Stoner also won two motorcycle championship titles [2007 and 2011].
Jason Crump became world speedway champion in 2004, 2006 and 2009. Chris Holder won the individual speedway world champion title in 2012 and Jason Doyle in 2017. Darcy Ward was only 21 years old and became the under-21 speedway world champion in 2009 and 2010 and has been since the last Season permanent individual Speedway World Championship Grand Prix participant.
On October 26, 2002, the World Speedway Grand Prix of Australia took place at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney as part of the Individual Speedway World Championship. On October 24, 2015, the Speedway World Championship Grand Prix of Australia will take place at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne as part of the Speedway Individual World Championship.
Netball
Netball is one of the most popular sports in Australia. It is played by thousands of girls and women - from elementary school to adults - especially in the colder months. There are competitions in schools, local associations as well as at national and international level. Sports centers also hold social competitions for women, men and mixed teams. The national competition, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy , was founded in 1997 with eight teams.
The Australian national team regularly competes against other netball playing nations, v. a. England (the traditional home of the sport), New Zealand , South Africa and Jamaica . New Zealand and Australia are the strongest of these teams and have been arch-rivals in the major championships for decades. Although netball is not part of the official program of the Olympic Games , it has been part of the Commonwealth Games since 1998 .
Equestrian sport
Horse races are organized in Australia by the Australian Racing Board . The Principal Racing Authority of each state must recognize the Australian Rules of Racing .
Racing with thoroughbred horses comes third after Australian rules football and rugby in terms of audience interest. In 2002/03 almost two million spectators visited the 379 racetracks in Australia. Horse racing is also an industry that provides full or part-time work for nearly 250,000 people. Around 300,000 people are directly interested in the 31,000 racehorses as owners or members of syndicates .
The public interest in thoroughbred races, v. a. in the central spring and autumn competitions has increased in recent years. Over 100,000 spectators attended the Melbourne Cup and the VRC Oaks , and the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate are also big attractions.
Throughout its history, horse racing has become a part of Australian culture. It has a colorful language and some great sports icons like Phar Lap, Tulloch, Bernborough, Kingston Town and Makybe Diva.
Eventing also plays an important role. In 1960, 1992, 1996 and 2000 the Australian team won the gold medal at the Olympic Games and Matthew Ryan became the first Australian in the individual competition in 1992.
Cycling
The cycling is a leisure sport popular in Australia because the weather offers almost all year sufficient conditions. The sport reaches a higher level of competition through the success of Australians overseas, e.g. B. at the Olympic Games and the Tour de France . Every year the Tour Down Under also attracts many top cyclists from all over the world to Australia.
In 1981, Phil Anderson was the first non-European to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. Robbie McEwen , Stuart O'Grady and Baden Cooke were among the best sprinters in the world in the early 2000s and were able to win numerous Tour de France stages, as well as the green jersey of the best sprinters (McEwen and Cooke). Bradley McGee was a time trial specialist and won the 2003 Tour de France prologue. Michael Rogers won the Germany Tour in 2003 and is a three-time world time trial champion. Cadel Evans is an accomplished mountain climber and touring specialist who in 2011 became the first Australian to win the Tour de France , the world's most important cycling race . He had already finished second twice before. In addition, he won the world title in 2009 , also as the first Australian.
Rugby league
Rugby League is one of the most popular sports in New South Wales , Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory , where its history dates back to 1908 . Less valued, but still played by some people, it is played in the nontraditional territories like Victoria , South Australia , Western Australia and the Northern Territory , while in Tasmania it is almost non-existent. The Australian Rugby League (ARL) is the central organization of this sport in Australia. It consists of regional associations such as the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and the Queensland Rugby League (QRL). The National Rugby League (NRL) is one of the most popular sports competitions in Australia. Since the ARL merged with the Super League in 1998 , 16 teams have competed in the league. From 1908 to 1994 the league was played by the NSWRL and from 1995 to 1997 by the ARL.
The NRL currently consists of the following teams: Brisbane Broncos , Canberra Raiders , Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Sydney), Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Sydney), Gold Coast Titans , Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (Sydney), Melbourne Storm , Newcastle Knights , New Zealand Warriors (Auckland / Nzl), North Queensland Cowboys (Townsville), Parramatta Eels (Sydney), Penrith Panthers (Sydney), South Sydney Rabbitohs , Sydney Roosters , St. George Illawarra Dragons (Sydney / Wollongong), Wests Tigers (Sydney)
The Australian national team has been nicknamed the Kangaroos since July 7, 1994 . Australia regularly takes part in the most important international competitions. The trophy named Rugby League Ashes is given to the winner of the duel between Great Britain and Australia , which has been held since 1908 . The three top nations Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain have been playing the Tri-Nations tournament since 1999 . In the Rugby League World Cup , which has been held since 1954, Australia is the record winner with ten titles.
In 1980, Queensland launched the State of Origin competition because the best Queensland players were often given to clubs from New South Wales and therefore the duels between the states were always lost. The specialty is that the players compete for the province in which they played for the first time.
Rugby union
see main article: Rugby Union in Australia
The first documented game in rugby union in Australia was dated July 25, 1839 . In 1864 the first association was founded at the University of Sydney . Ten years later there were enough clubs to start the Sydney Metropolitan competition.
English teams traveled to Australia for the first time in 1888 and 1899. Australian teams have been competitive throughout the 20th century. In 1996 rugby union became a professional sport. The Australian national team , the "Wallabies" play annually for the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand ; since 1996 this trophy has been part of the Tri Nations Series (since 2012 The Rugby Championship ), in which Australia also competes against Argentina and South Africa .
The world championship has been held every four years since 1987. Australia won the title twice in 1991 and 1999. They hosted their runner-up in 2003 . At the 2007 World Cup, the Wallabies were sensationally eliminated in the quarter-finals.
The main provincial rugby competition is the Super Rugby League, with four teams from Australia (the Brumbies from Canberra, the Queensland Reds from Brisbane, the New South Wales Waratahs from Sydney and the Melbourne Rebels ) plus five teams from New Zealand and four teams from South Africa and one team each from Argentina and Japan.
swim
Swimming is one of the most popular sports in Australia, almost every Australian practices this sport at least as a hobby. There is ample opportunity to do so, given the geographical conditions, so most Australians have a short way to the sea, there are also plenty of state-of-the-art swimming pools and good structures in the national swimming association. The lifesavers' rescue sports clubs on many beaches offer athletic training like the nippers for children. Local, regional and national competitions take place in the so-called Surf Carnevals . Australia is one of the most successful nations in this sport. The best athletes include Ian Thorpe , with a total of five gold medals at the Olympic Games and eleven world championship titles; Dawn Fraser and Murray Rose with four Olympic gold medals each, Grant Hackett , Shane Gould and Petria Thomas with three Olympic titles each, and Susan O'Neill and Kieren Perkins , who each won two Olympic medals .
tennis
The Australian Open in Melbourne is one of the tennis grand slam tournaments in Australia. They start in January every year. In 1905 the Australasian Tennis Championship was first played on the cricket field on St Kilda Road. As in the other Grand Slam tournaments, the top-ranked amateur players competed here. The tournament was considered the Australian championship until it was opened to foreign players in 1968 . Today competitions are held in singles and doubles for men and women, as well as in mixed and juniors.
Australian tennis players are some of the best in the world. Roy Emerson won a total of 12 Grand Slam titles, only Pete Sampras and Roger Federer could achieve more. Rod Laver is the fourth most successful player in history with Björn Borg , with 11 titles. Laver became a legend when he won the “ Grand Slam ”, i.e. all four Grand Slam tournaments of a year, as the first and only player to date in the Open Era , and this twice, in 1962 and 1969 . Ken Rosewall , who celebrated 8 successes in Grand Slam tournaments, and John Newcombe , who has 7 titles, are also among the greats of tennis . Australian tennis players Pat Cash , Patrick Rafter , Mark Philippoussis , Lleyton Hewitt and The Woodies are also known worldwide . The Woodies, consisting of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, were the most successful male doubles in history; they won eleven grand slams and one Olympic gold medal . In the women's category , Ashleigh Barty won the 2019 French Open in Paris.
winter Olympics
There is snow in the Australian Alps and parts of Tasmania , and Australia has ice rinks in many cities. Therefore, Australians can take part in many winter sports , e.g. B. skiing , snowboarding , cross-country skiing , biathlon , freestyle skiing (including aerial skiing and moguls), ice hockey , curling , short track and figure skating . Australia has Olympic programs for some of these sports. There are little or no opportunities for ski jumping or competitions such as bobsleigh , luge or skeleton in Australia, although athletes compete in competitions overseas.
Australia sent 40 athletes to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, these participated in 11 competitions. Australia was the only country in the southern hemisphere to win gold at the Winter Olympics. Alisa Camplin (freestyle) and Steven Bradbury (short track) became the first Australian athletes to ever win a gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. After the 2010 Vancouver Games, there were 5 gold medals.
Olympic Summer Games
Australia was represented by one team (next with New Zealand) from the first Olympic Games in 1896. John Astley Cooper had already called for independent representation of the states of the Empire in 1891, so that participation in the Olympic Games of Pierre de Coubertin was uncomplicated. In 1912/14 Australia was also one of the first countries to use government funds to support the preparation and deployment of a qualified team. Twice been Olympic Games held in Australia, in 1956 in Melbourne and in 2000 in Sydney . Australia is one of three nations that have sent athletes to all of the Summer Games. The most successful Australian athlete at the Olympics - measured by the medals - is Ian Thorpe , who won nine medals, five of them gold. Betty Cuthbert , Murray Rose and Dawn Fraser won four gold medals . Australia won most of the medals in Sydney in 2000, a total of 58, 16 of them gold. Since the host is automatically qualified in all sports, Australia also had the largest team in its history with 630 athletes at these Olympic Games. Australia won the most gold medals (17) again in 2004 in Athens .
Commonwealth Games
- British Empire Games 1938 in Sydney
- British Empire and Commonwealth Games 1962 in Perth
- 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane
- Commonwealth Games 2006 in Melbourne
University sports
The universities play an important role in spreading the sport in Australia. There are many competitions for college teams (although it doesn't get the same level of attention as in the US ). At the Uni-Games , teams compete annually in traditional sports such as athletics , touch football , rugby union and less conventional sports such as Ultimate .
Other sports
The best badminton players in Australia are appointed to the Australian national badminton team.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Reet Howell, Maxwell L. Howell : Aussie gold: the story of Australia at the Olympics. Albion, Qld .: Brooks Waterloo, 1988.
- ^ Arnd Krüger : "Providing a magnificent advertisement for our young country": the origins of sport as a means of national representation 1912–1914. Conference Report. IXth Sporting Traditions Conference. Launceston, June 30 - July 3, 1993 , 31pp.