Editing Culture of Australia (section)

==Sport==
{{Main|Sport in Australia}}
Early colonial Australian sport was influenced by British sport heritage brought by the convicts and free settlers, serving as a nostalgic link to their nations of origin and a way for replicating the English lifestyle for the upper classes in an environment far from familiar for the settlers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Vamplew & Stoddart|ref=CITEREFVamplew|pp=1–2}}</ref> As a result of this influence, many Australians are passionate about sport, and it forms a major part of the country's culture and economy in terms of spectating and participation.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |title=About sport in Australia |url=https://www.health.gov.au/topics/sport/about-sport-in-australia |access-date=16 August 2024 |website=health.gov.au}}</ref> Cricket is popular in the summer, and football codes are popular in the winter. Australian traditions such as [[grand finals]] and [[footy tipping]] are shared among the codes.

Australia's successes in events such as the [[Olympic Games]], [[Commonwealth Games]], World Cup competitions in [[cricket]], [[rugby union]], [[Rugby League World Cup|rugby league]], [[field hockey]], [[netball]], and major tournaments in [[tennis]], [[golf]], [[surfing]], and other sports are a source of pride for many Australians. Sports people such as [[Donald Bradman]], [[Dawn Fraser]], and [[Cathy Freeman]] remain in the nation's cultural memory and are accorded high civilian honours and public status.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/sportinggreats/ |title=Sporting greats – Stories from Australia's Culture Portal |publisher=Cultureandrecreation.gov.au |access-date=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408184025/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/sportinggreats/ |archive-date=8 April 2011}}</ref>

===Cricket===
{{Main|Cricket in Australia}}
[[File:MCG-1864.JPG|thumb|left|Cricket match at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], 1860s]]
[[Cricket]] is Australia's most popular summer sport and has been played since colonial times. It is followed in all states and territories, unlike the football codes which vary in popularity between regions.<ref>[http://annualreport.cricketaustralia.com.au/ceos-report Cricket Australia Annual Report 2014-15] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224231059/http://annualreport.cricketaustralia.com.au/ceos-report/ |date=24 February 2017 }} Cricket Australia. Retrieved on 15 December 2015</ref>

[[File:Bradman c.1928.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Donald Bradman]] is often cited as statistically the greatest sportsman of any major sport.]]
The first recorded cricket match in Australia took place in Sydney in 1803. [[Intercolonial cricket in Australia|Intercolonial contests]] started in 1851<ref name=PictorialHistory>{{cite book |last=Pollard |first= Jack|title=The Pictorial History of Australian Cricket|year=1986 |publisher= J.M Dent Pty Ltd & Australian Broadcasting Corporation|location=Boronia |isbn=0-86770-043-2|edition= revised}}</ref> and [[Sheffield Shield]] inter-state cricket continues to this day. In 1866–67, prominent cricketer and [[Australian rules football]] pioneer [[Tom Wills]] coached an Aboriginal cricket team, which later [[Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868|toured England in 1868]] under the captaincy of [[Charles Lawrence (cricketer)|Charles Lawrence]]. The 1876–77 season is notable for a match between a combined [[XI (cricket)|XI]] from New South Wales and Victoria and a [[English cricket team in Australia and New Zealand in 1876–77|touring English team]] at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], which was later recognised as the first [[Test cricket|Test match]].<ref name=CricketColosseum>{{cite book |last=Piesse |first= Ken|author-link=Ken Piesse |title=Cricket Colosseum:125 Years of Test Cricket at the MCG|year=2003 |publisher= Hardie Grant|location=South Yarra|isbn=978-1-74066-064-8}}</ref> A famous victory on the [[Australian cricket team in England and the United States in 1882|1882 tour of England]] resulted in the placement of a satirical [[obituary]] in an English newspaper saying that English cricket had "died", and the "body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". The English media then dubbed the next English tour to Australia ([[English cricket team in Australia in 1882–83|1882–83]]) as the quest to "regain the ashes".<ref name=AshesAnthology>{{cite book |last=Arnold|first= Peter|author2=Wynne-Thomas, Peter |title=An Ashes Anthology:England v. Australia|year=1989 |publisher= Simon and Schuster|location=Brookvale|isbn=978-0-7318-0105-3}}</ref> This success of the national cricket team ignited sport nationalism in the Australian population, and ultimately helped pave the way for political federation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Vamplew & Stoddart|ref=CITEREFVamplew|p=5}}</ref> The tradition continues with [[the Ashes]] series, an icon of the sporting rivalry between the two countries.

Australian cricket developed more distinctive traditions after 1900, paralleling the federation of the country in 1901, which helped stimulate pride for "Australian things".<ref>{{Harvnb|Vamplew & Stoddart|ref=CITEREFVamplew|p=62}}</ref> Successful cricketers often become lasting celebrities in Australia. Sir [[Donald Bradman]], who made his Test debut in the [[English cricket team in Australia in 1928–29|1928–29 series]] against England, is regarded as the game's greatest batsman and a byword for sporting excellence.<ref name="Bradman">{{cite web
| url = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/4188.html
| title = Sir Donald Bradman
| publisher = [[Cricinfo]]
| access-date = 4 April 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120212191148/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/4188.html
| archive-date = 12 February 2012
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Other Australian cricketers who remain household names include [[Richie Benaud]], [[Dennis Lillee]] and [[Shane Warne]] and others who pursued media careers after they retired from the game. Internationally, Australia has for most of the last century sat at or near the top of the cricketing world. In the 1970s, Australian media tycoon [[Kerry Packer]] founded [[World Series Cricket]] from which many international forms of the game have evolved.

Events on the cricket pitch have occasionally been elevated to diplomatic incidents in Australian history, such as the infamous [[Bodyline]] controversy of the 1930s, in which the English team bowled in a physically intimidating way leading to accusations of ''unsportsmanlike'' conduct.<ref name=Jardine>{{cite book
| last =Douglas
| first =Christopher
| title =Douglas Jardine: Spartan Cricketer
| publisher =Methuen
| year = 2002
| isbn = 978-0-413-77216-9
}}</ref>

===Football codes===
{{See also|Australian rules football in Australia|Rugby union in Australia|Rugby league in Australia|Soccer in Australia}}
[[File:Fremantle Oval Statue.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Statue in [[Fremantle]] of an [[Australian rules football]]er taking a [[spectacular mark]]]]
[[Australian rules football]] is the most highly attended spectator sport in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=21 December 2010 |title=Most popular sports attended |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4174.0~2009-10~Main+Features~Most+popular+sports+attended?OpenDocument |access-date=26 December 2024 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |language=}}</ref> Its core support lies in four of the six states: Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.<ref>{{Harvnb|Vamplew & Stoddart|ref=CITEREFVamplew|p=20}}</ref> Originating in Melbourne and codified during the late 1850s and early 1860s, the sport is the world's oldest codified football game.<ref>{{Harvnb|Vamplew & Stoddart|ref=CITEREFVamplew|pp=20; 25}}</ref> The national competition, the [[Australian Football League]] (AFL), [[History of the Australian Football League|evolved from the Victorian Football League]] in 1990, and has expanded to all states except Tasmania. The [[AFL Grand Final]] is traditionally played on the last Saturday of September at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], the sport's "spiritual home".<ref>[http://www.mcg.org.au/History/Australian%20Football/MCG%20Football%20-%20A%20Brief%20History.aspx MCG Football – A Brief History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023020142/http://www.mcg.org.au/History/Australian%20Football/MCG%20Football%20-%20A%20Brief%20History.aspx |date=23 October 2014 }}, Melbourne Cricket Ground. Retrieved 29 September 2014.</ref> [[Australian rules football culture]] has a strong set of rituals and traditions, such as [[kick-to-kick]] and [[wikt:barracking|barracking]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Trail|first=Margaret|url=https://raco.cat/index.php/coolabah/article/view/327767/418289|title=‘And she flies! Beautiful’: the dislocating geography of football sound|journal=Coolabah|publisher=Australian Studies Centre ([[University of Barcelona]])|issue=11|page=318|doi=10.1344/co201311315-322|issn=1988-5946}}</ref> [[International rules football]] is a [[hybrid sport]] of Australian football and [[Gaelic football]] devised to facilitate matches between Australia and Ireland.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

[[Rugby union]] was first played in Australia in the 1860s and is followed predominately in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The [[Australian national rugby union team|national team]] is known as the Wallabies. Despite having a relatively small player base, Australia has twice won the [[Rugby World Cup]], in [[1991 Rugby World Cup|1991]] and [[1999 Rugby World Cup|1999]], and hosted the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]]. Other notable competitions include the annual [[Bledisloe Cup]], played against Australia's main rivals, the [[New Zealand All Blacks]], and [[the Rugby Championship]], involving [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]], New Zealand, and [[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]]. Provincial teams from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand compete in the annual [[Super Rugby]] competition. Rugby [[Test match (rugby union)|test matches]] are also popular and have at times become highly politicised, such as when many Australians, including the Wallabies, demonstrated against the racially selected South African teams of the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|author=AAP |url=http://www.aru.rugby.com.au/news/2001_july/mandela_to_honour_anti-apartheid_wallabies_o_11660,4273.html/news/archive/section/21893 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215175853/http://www.aru.rugby.com.au/news/2001_july/mandela_to_honour_anti-apartheid_wallabies_o_11660,4273.html/news/archive/section/21893 |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2012 |title=Mandela to Honour Anti-Aparteid Wallabies of 71 |publisher=ARU |date=6 July 2001 |access-date=10 August 2012 }}</ref> Notable Australian rugby union players include Sir [[Weary Dunlop|Edward Dunlop]], [[Mark Ella]] and [[David Campese]].

[[File:First State of Origin Shield.jpg|thumb|The first [[State of Origin series|State of Origin]] shield]]
[[File:AusChi3 - LogarzoKerrGielnikCelebrate (51556664139).jpg|thumb|The [[Australia women's national soccer team|Matildas]], Australia's national women's football team]]
In 1908, [[rugby league]] was established in Australia, by former rugby union players and supporters as a breakaway professional code. The new code gained and has maintained a wider following in Australia than rugby union, which remained amateur until the 1990s. The sport has roots in the working class communities of [[Lancashire]] and [[Yorkshire]] in Northern England, translating to similar areas in [[Sydney]] and [[Brisbane]]. The elite club competition is the [[National Rugby League]] (NRL), which features ten teams from New South Wales, four teams from Queensland, and one team each from Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The season culminates in the [[NRL Grand Final]]. The New South Wales [[New South Wales rugby league team|Blues]] and Queensland [[Queensland rugby league team|Maroons]] compete in the annual [[State of Origin series]]. [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia's national team]], the Kangaroos, has contested all 15 [[Rugby League World Cup]] titles, winning 11 of them.

Despite attracting less media attention, spectators and sponsorship than Australian rules football and rugby league, [[soccer]] is Australia's highest participation football code,<ref>[http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6123-australian-sports-participation-rates-among-children-and-adults-december-2014-201503182151 "The Top 20 sports played by Aussies young and old(er)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417151016/http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6123-australian-sports-participation-rates-among-children-and-adults-december-2014-201503182151 |date=17 April 2020 }}, Roy Morgan. Retrieved 18 December 2016,</ref> although in South Australia, Australian rules football is still the most-participated football code.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZDgwYjA1MzYtMmQ3MS00YmE5LWEwM2MtYTVhMDg3YTg4OWQ3IiwidCI6IjhkMmUwZjRjLTU1ZjItNGNiMS04ZWU3LWRhNWRkM2ZmMzYwMCJ9 | title=Microsoft Power BI }}</ref> During the second half of the 20th century many Australian soccer clubs were based around ethnic groups, mostly European.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tayloe |first1=Deborah |title=The Influence of Australian Migrant Minorities on Soccer Today |url=https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/the-influence-of-australian-migrant-minorities-on-soccer-today/ |website=The Footy Almanac |access-date=8 June 2019 |language=en-AU |date=2 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=The story of Australian soccer, from ethnic clubs to the A-League |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-joe-gorman/9105786 |access-date=8 June 2019 |series=Conversations |series-link=Conversations (radio program) |first1=Sarah |last1=Kanowski | first2=Nicola | last2=Kanowski |network=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC Australia]] |station=ABC |date=7 November 2017 |series-no=2017 |number=9105786}}</ref> However, the [[A-League|national league]] was completely reformed in 2004. [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia's national male team]], the Socceroos, has competed in the finals of five [[FIFA World Cup]] championships. In 2006 the Socceroos moved from the [[Oceania Football Confederation]] to the [[Asian Football Confederation]], a much stronger confederation which has allowed the Australian team to avoid repetition of a history of missed World Cup qualifications in forced sudden-death playoffs. Australia won the [[2015 AFC Asian Cup]]. Major international stars from Australia include [[Tim Cahill]], [[Mark Viduka]], [[Mark Schwarzer]] and [[Harry Kewell]]. In the [[2023 FIFA Women's World Cup]], [[Australia women's national soccer team|Australia's national women's team]] set an Australian TV rating record, averaging 7.13 million viewers in the semi-finals against England, after the previous game against France became the most viewed event of the year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Thomas Mitchell, Karl |date=2023-08-17 |title=Matildas semi-final fever scores another TV viewing record |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/matildas-semi-final-fever-scores-another-tv-viewing-record-20230816-p5dwxm.html |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref> The significant outpouring of community support for the team was dubbed by the media as "[[Matildas fever]]".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Beveridge|first=Anthea|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-06/matildas-induced-womens-sport-love-not-new-in-canberra/102943646|title=Matildas fever saw the nation fall in love with women's sport — but that's not a new concept in the nation's capital|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=5 October 2023|access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref>

===Water sports===
{{See also|Surfing in Australia}}
[[File:George Caddy Surf Lifesavers.jpg|thumb|The [[surf lifesaving]] movement originated in Australia. (Pictured: surf lifesavers, [[Bondi Beach]], 1930s).]]
Australia's warm climate and long coastline of sandy beaches and rolling waves provide ideal conditions for water sports such as [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]] and [[surfing]]. The majority of Australians live in cities or towns on or near the coast, and so beaches are a place that millions of Australians visit regularly.<ref name="culture.gov.au">{{cite web |url=http://culture.gov.au/articles/surflifesaving/ |title=Surf Life Saving – Australia's Culture Portal |publisher=Culture.gov.au |date=6 February 1938 |access-date=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228072923/http://culture.gov.au/articles/surflifesaving/ |archive-date=28 February 2011}}</ref>

Swimming is a popular pastime for Australians. In the early 1900s, members of the Australian [[Cavill family (swimming)|Cavill family]] pioneered the [[crawl stroke]] ("Australian crawl") and [[butterfly stroke]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/Honorees/70/70cavillfamily.html |title=The Cavill Family |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104173114/http://ishof.org/honorees/70/70cavillfamily.html |archive-date=4 November 2007 }}</ref> Australia is a world power in Olympic swimming, second only to the United States in total gold medals in the sport. Swimmers like [[Dawn Fraser]], [[Kieren Perkins]] and [[Ian Thorpe]] have taken multiple gold medals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corporate.olympics.com.au/sport/1/14/Swimming |title=Sport: Swimming – Australian Olympic Committee |publisher=Corporate.olympics.com.au |access-date=29 January 2011}}</ref> Most states have a compulsory school swimming program, so it is common for Australians to be competent in swimming and water safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aquastarswim.com.au/are-swimming-lessons-complusory-in-australia/ |title=Are swimming lessons compulsory in Australia? |date=29 October 2020 |publisher=aquastarswim.com.au/ |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref>

Australians have a particular affinity for [[surf lifesaving]], and surf lifesavers have a revered status in Australian culture. The world's first surf lifesaving club, [[Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club]], was founded at [[Bondi Beach]], Sydney, in 1906. [[Surf Life Saving Australia]] has conducted hundreds of thousands of rescues around Australia. Tens of thousands of Australians compete in surf lifesaving training and competitions, such as [[Ironman (surf lifesaving)|Ironman]] events.<ref name="culture.gov.au"/>

In the summer of 1915, [[Duke Kahanamoku]] of [[Hawaii]] introduced [[surf board]] riding to Sydney's [[Freshwater Beach]], amazing locals and starting a long-term love affair with the sport in Australia.<ref name="culture.gov.au"/> Over 1 in 10 Australians surf recreationally,<ref>[http://www.surfingaustralia.com/statistics.php Surfing Australia Fast Facts] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140130025713/http://www.surfingaustralia.com/statistics.php |date=30 January 2014 }}, Surfing Australia. Retrieved 30 September 2014.</ref> and more Australians have been declared [[world surfing champion]]s than any other nation.<ref>[http://www.isasurf.org/isa-world-champions/ 50 Years of ISA World Champions], International Surfing Association. Retrieved 30 September 2014.</ref>

The [[Sydney to Hobart]] yacht race is a much anticipated fixture on the Australian sporting calendar. Australia won the [[America's Cup]] under skipper [[John Bertrand (Australian sailor)|John Bertrand]] in [[1983 America's Cup|1983]], becoming the first country other than the United States to win the race.

===Other sports===
[[File:PharLap.JPG|thumb|left|[[Phar Lap]] winning the [[Melbourne Cup]], "the race that stops a nation"]]
[[Horse racing]] has had a prominent place in Australian culture since the colonial era, with the first spectator sports event in Australia being [[Lachlan Macquarie]]'s race meeting at [[Hyde Park, Sydney|Hyde Park]], Sydney, in 1810.<ref>Lester, Gary and Heads, Ian (2010). ''And the Crowd Went Wild'', Playright Publishing</ref> First run in 1861, the [[Melbourne Cup]] is known as "the race that stops a nation" for the enthusiasm with which Australians tune in for the annual race, and is said to encapsulate the country's twin obsessions of sport and [[gambling in Australia|gambling]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Melbourne Cup: The horse race that captivates and divides Australia |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/en/podcast-episode/melbourne-cup-horse-race-explainer/squgz9mad |access-date=16 August 2024 |website=SBS Language |language=en}}</ref>

[[Basketball]] is popular in Australia in terms of participation, especially among children.<ref>[http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1301.0~2012~Main%20Features~Sports%20and%20physical%20recreation~116 Sport and Physical Recreation], [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]. Retrieved 9 June 2014.</ref> The [[National Basketball League (Australasia)|National Basketball League]] (NBL) began in 1979 and is contested by eight teams—seven from Australia and one from New Zealand.<ref name=nbl-hq>[http://www.nbl.com.au/nbl-hq NBL HQ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626103747/http://www.nbl.com.au/nbl-hq |date=26 June 2015 }}</ref> The [[Women's National Basketball League]] (WNBL) is the top women's basketball league, having begun in 1981, and the [[Australia national women's basketball team|national women's team]] (the Opals) has won medals at the Olympics since 1994. [[Netball]] has the highest participation rate of any women's sport in Australia. Established in 2008, the [[ANZ Championship]] is the premier netball league in Australia and New Zealand, featuring five teams from each country. The [[Australian national netball team]] (the Diamonds) is considered the best in the world, having won 10 of 13 [[World Netball Championships]].

The Australian [[V8 Supercars]] series is steadily growing in popularity across the world, where television coverage allows.

Australia regularly raises world champion [[field hockey]] teams. Australian [[Road bicycle racing|cyclists]] have won international cycling competitions, most notably [[Cadel Evans]]' win in the [[2011 Tour de France]]. In 2008, the [[Tour Down Under]], centred around Adelaide, became the first [[UCI ProTour]] cycling race to be held outside of Europe. Among young people and within schools nationwide, various forms of handball or [[downball]] games have been among the most prevalent sports games for some decades.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

[[File:Kiandra carnival 1900 Charles Kerry.jpeg|thumb|[[Skiing in Australia]] began in [[Kiandra]], a goldmining town in the [[Snowy Mountains]] of New South Wales, in the 1860s.]]
Snow sports are enjoyed in the [[Australian Alps]] and in Tasmania. [[Skiing in Australia]] was first introduced by Norwegian miners in the gold mining town of [[Kiandra, New South Wales|Kiandra]] in the [[Snowy Mountains]] of New South Wales around 1859. The sport remains a popular winter activity in the south-eastern states and territories. Major [[alpine skiing]] resorts include [[Thredbo]], [[Perisher Ski Resort|Perisher]] and [[Charlotte Pass]] in New South Wales; [[Mount Hotham]], [[Falls Creek, Victoria|Falls Creek]] and [[Mount Buller]] in Victoria and [[Mount Ben Lomond]] in Tasmania. Extensive areas are available for cross country skiing within national parks including [[Kosciuszko National Park]] (NSW), [[Alpine National Park]] (VIC); [[Namadgi National Park]] (ACT) and in the [[Tasmanian Wilderness]]. Australia has long [[Australia at the Winter Olympics|participated in the Winter Olympics]] and has won medals at the Games since the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

Increased interest and participation in American sports has led to opportunities for Australians to play at the top level in sports such as [[baseball]], [[ice hockey]] and [[American football]]. [[Grant Balfour]] is a relief pitcher for the [[Tampa Bay Rays]], and played in the [[2008 World Series]]. The skill set of Australian rules footballers fits the mould of US [[National Football League]] (NFL) [[Punter (football)|punters]], and they stand out from their American peers with their ability to tackle returners. Two former AFL footballers competed in the 2009 [[National Football Conference|NFC]] Championship game as punters, [[Saverio Rocca]] for the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] and [[Ben Graham (football player)|Ben Graham]] for the [[Arizona Cardinals]]. Graham's appearance in [[Super Bowl XLIII]] made him the first Australian to play in the NFL's championship game. The first College Bowl game to feature two Australians was the [[2012 BCS National Championship Game]] with punter [[Brad Wing]] from LSU and defensive end [[Jesse Williams (American football)|Jesse Williams]] for Alabama. In 2018, [[Nathan Walker]], the first Australian drafted by an NHL team, also became the first to play on a Stanley Cup winning team, the 2018 Washington Capitals.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}