Sport in Papua New Guinea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sport is an important part of Papua New Guinean culture. The national sport, although not official, is considered to be rugby league.
Other popular sports include most football codes (rugby union, soccer and Australian rules football), cricket, volleyball, softball, netball and basketball. Other Olympic sports are also gaining popularity including boxing and weightlifting.
Contents |
[edit] Rugby league
- See main: Rugby league in Papua New Guinea.
Rugby league is the most popular sport in Papua New Guinea (especially in the highlands) which also unofficially holds the title as the "national sport". 50% of the population under 20 play rugby league. [1]
In a nation where communities are far apart and many people live at a minimal subsistence level, rugby league has been described as a replacement for tribal warfare as a way of explaining the local enthusiasm for the game (a matter of life and death).
The annual Australian State of Origin matches are the most watched sporting event of the year.
Many Papua New Guineans have become instant celebrities by representing their country or playing in an overseas professional league. The West New Britain Rugby League player, Marcus Bai, is a national celebrity after he played for the National Rugby League with Melbourne Storm. Even Australian rugby league players who have played in the annual (Australian) State of Origin clash, which is celebrated feverishly every year in PNG, are among the most well known identities throughout the nation.
The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team usually play against the Australian national rugby league team each year in Port Moresby. It is such a popular fixture that thousands of people can't get into the ground once it's full, causing people to climb onto the stadium roof or up trees outside the ground in order to see the match. The limited capacity of the stadium for this fixture often sparks riots. Spectators clashed with riot police during this fixture in 2006.
The national competition is called the SP Cup and was initiated in 1990.
[edit] Australian rules football
Australian Rules Football has experienced considerable growth over the past decade, now being Papua New Guinea's second most popular sport.[citation needed] It gained popularity with the introduction of players at the top level into the AFL, including Mal Michael (Brisbane Lions) and James Gwilt (St Kilda Football Club).
They also boast the second highest number of players in the world after Australia. The Papua New Guinea national Australian rules football team ('The Mosquitos') competed at both the 2002 and 2005 Australian Football International Cup and were runners-up both times (to Ireland and New Zealand respectively). AFL-PNG is the governing body of the sport in Papua New Guinea.
[edit] Cricket
Cricket is traditionally popular in the Papuan provinces where the British had the most influence. In the Trobriand Islands cricket has become fused with the local culture and a game played with stones instead of a rock and unlimited fielders has developed. It was introduced in 1903 by Methodist missionaries, and has become a beloved sport there.
[edit] Rugby union
- See main: Rugby union in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a tier three rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in 1966 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. Teams from Papua New Guinea have competed in the Commonwealth games.
There are 8520 registered players of rugby union and 57 clubs. There are no registered senior female players.
The national side is ranked 54th in the world (as of 1 December 2006).
[edit] Football (soccer)
Another major sport which has a part in the Papua New Guinea sporting landscape is Association football (soccer).
[edit] References
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
