Familypedi… Editing (section) Australia 0 You are not logged in. The rich text editor does not work with JavaScript switched off. Please either enable it in your browser options, or visit your preferences to switch to the old MediaWiki editor ===Sport and recreation=== {{Main|Sport in Australia}} [[File:AFL Grand Final 2010 on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.jpg|thumb|The [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] is strongly associated with the history and development of [[cricket]] and [[Australian rules football]], Australia's two most popular spectator sports.<ref>[http://www.nsm.org.au/the%20mcg/heritage%20listing.aspx?p=1 National Sports Museum Heritage Listing], National Sports Museum. Retrieved 15 April 2015.</ref>]] About 24% of Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities.<ref name="Year Book 2005" /> At an international level, Australia has excelled at [[cricket]], [[field hockey]], [[netball]], [[rugby league]] and [[rugby union]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Pereira da Costa|first=Lamartine|title=Worldwide Experiences and Trends in Sport for All|publisher=Meyer & Meyer Verlag|year=2013|isbn=978-1-84126-085-3|page=68}}</ref> The majority of Australians live within the coastal zone, making the beach a popular recreation spot and an integral part of the nation's identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/beach|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226144234/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/beach|archivedate=26 February 2010|title=The Beach|work=Australian Government: Culture Portal|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia|date=17 March 2008}}</ref> Australia is a powerhouse in water-based sports, such as swimming and surfing.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pike|first=Jeffrey|title=Australia|publisher=Langenscheidt Publishing Group|year=2004|isbn=978-9812347992|page=103}}</ref> The [[surf lifesaving]] movement originated in Australia, and the volunteer lifesaver is one of the country's icons.<ref>{{cite book|last=Booth|first=Douglas|title=Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand and Surf|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-0714681788|page=39}}</ref> Nationally, other popular sports include [[Australian rules football]], horse racing, squash, surfing, soccer, and motor racing. The annual [[Melbourne Cup]] horse race and the [[Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race|Sydney to Hobart]] yacht race attract intense interest.<ref>{{cite web|last=Campbell|first=Peter|title=Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race|url=http://www.cyca.com.au/racing/rolex-sydney-hobart-yacht-race/|work=cyca.com.au|publisher=[[Cruising Yacht Club of Australia]]|accessdate=6 June 2015}}</ref> Australia is one of five nations to have participated in every [[Summer Olympics]] of the modern era,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Oxlade|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Oxlade (writer)|author2=Ballheimer, David|title=Olympics|publisher=DK|series=DK Eyewitness|page=61|isbn=0-7566-1083-4}}</ref> and has hosted the Games twice: [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956]] in Melbourne and [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]] in Sydney.<ref>Davison, Hirst and Macintyre, pp. 479–480.</ref> Australia has also participated in every [[Commonwealth Games]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealthgames.org.au/page/65/by-games|publisher=Australian Commonwealth Games Association |title=Flag Bearers|accessdate=23 April 2010}}</ref> hosting the event in [[1938 British Empire Games|1938]], [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games|1962]], [[1982 Commonwealth Games|1982]], [[2006 Commonwealth Games|2006]] and will host the [[2018 Commonwealth Games]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecgf.com/games/games_index.asp?linkresults=1|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation |title=Past Commonwealth Games|accessdate=23 April 2010| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315102922/http://www.thecgf.com/games/games_index.asp?linkresults=1| archivedate= 15 March 2010 | deadurl=no}}</ref> As well as being a regular [[FIFA World Cup]] participant, Australia has won the [[OFC Nations Cup]] four times and the [[AFC Asian Cup]] once – the only country to have won championships in two different FIFA confederations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Linden|first=Julian|title=Factbox - Asian Cup champions Australia|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/01/31/uk-soccer-asia-australia-factbox-idUKKBN0L40BQ20150131|work=Reuters|publisher=Thomson Reuters|date=31 January 2015|accessdate=6 June 2015}}</ref> Other major international events held in Australia include the [[Australian Open]] tennis [[Grand Slam (tennis)|grand slam]] tournament, international cricket matches, and the [[Australian Grand Prix|Australian Formula One Grand Prix]]. Australia hosted the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]] and the annual Australia–New Zealand [[Bledisloe Cup]] is keenly watched.{{fact|date=May 2015}} The highest-rating television programs include sports telecasts such as the Summer Olympics, FIFA World Cup, [[The Ashes]], [[Rugby League State of Origin]], and the [[grand final]]s of the [[National Rugby League]] and [[Australian Football League]].<ref>"Australian Film Commission. What are Australians Watching?" [https://web.archive.org/web/20100611004833/http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp/freetv.html Free-to-Air, 1999–2004 TV]. screenaustralia.gov.au</ref> [[Skiing in Australia]] began in the 1860s and snow sports take place in the [[Australian Alps]] and parts of [[Tasmania]]. Loading editor Below are some commonly used wiki markup codes. Simply click on what you want to use and it will appear in the edit box above. Insert: – — … ° ≈ ≠ ≤ ≥ ± − × ÷ ← → · § Sign your username: ~~~~ Wiki markup: {{}} | [] [[]] [[Category:]] #REDIRECT [[]] <s></s> <sup></sup> <sub></sub> <code></code> <blockquote></blockquote> <ref></ref> {{Reflist}} <references/> <includeonly></includeonly> <noinclude></noinclude> {{DEFAULTSORT:}} <nowiki></nowiki> <!-- --> <span class="plainlinks"></span> Symbols: ~ | ¡ ¿ † ‡ ↔ ↑ ↓ • ¶ # ¹ ² ³ ½ ⅓ ⅔ ¼ ¾ ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞ ∞ ‘ “ ’ ” «» ¤ ₳ ฿ ₵ ¢ ₡ ₢ $ ₫ ₯ € ₠ ₣ ƒ ₴ ₭ ₤ ℳ ₥ ₦ № ₧ ₰ £ ៛ ₨ ₪ ৳ ₮ ₩ ¥ ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ View this template This page is a member of 6 hidden categories: Category:Articles with authority control information Category:Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters Category:Pages with incomplete PMID references Category:Pages with script errors Category:Spoken articles Category:Valid name- nation This field is a spam trap. DO NOT fill it in! Edit summary Preview Mobile Desktop Show changes