The Arafura Games is a Multi-sport event usually held every two years in the Australian city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory. It is an international event which draws its competitors from around Australasia. First held in 1991, the most recent Games, held in 2001, involved 25 nations and over 3,000 athletes. From 2005, it will include events for athletes with physical disabilities. A multi-sport event is a competition in which athletes compete in a number of different sports. ... Darwin is the territorial capital and most populous city of the Northern Territory. ... Motto: None Nickname: ? Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Administrator Chief Minister Const. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Oceania. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... An athlete is a person who has above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and is thus suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term disability, as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. ...

Called a "meeting of Sporting Neighbours", the Arafura Games takes its name from the Arafura Sea, which lies between northern Australia and Southeast Asia. The Games were known as the Arafura Sports Festival up until 1997. The Arafura Sea is the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII in Roman) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Games were canceled in 2003 due to concern over the SARS virus. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: Progress of the SARS outbreak and Severe acute respiratory syndrome. ...

These Games were the first ever international sporting festival to have Australian Rules Football as an international competition sport in its own right. The International Australian Football Council was formed after the 1995 Games. Australian football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. ... The International Australian Football Council (IAFC) was a body that was established in the aftermath of the 1995 Arafura Games, held in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. ...

Sports

The sports that are to be played at the 2005 Games are:

• Athletics
• Athletics for athletes with disabilities (AWD)
• Australian rules football
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cricket
• Cycling
• Dragonboat racing
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Hockey
• International lifesaving
• Lawn bowls
• Netball
• Sepaktakraw
• Shooting
• Soccer/Futsal
• Softball
• Squash
• Swimming
• Swimming AWD
• Table tennis
• Taekwando
• Tennis
• Wheelchair tennis
• Ten-pin bowling
• Touch football
• Triathlon
• Beach volleyball
• Indoor volleyball
• Waterpolo
• Weightlifting

Athletics, also known, especially in American English, as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping. ... Australian football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. ... This article is about the racquet sport badminton. ... Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball past a player on the other team (the batter), who attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical stick called a bat. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 Basketball is a sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points by throwing a ball through a hoop (the basket) under organized rules. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Dominguez (left) versus Rafael Ortiz. ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... Cycling is a recreation, a sport, and a means of transport across land. ... Golf (gowf in Scots) is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. ... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... A game of field hockey in progress Field hockey is a popular sport for men and women in many countries around the world. ... Men playing bowls Bowls (or Lawn Bowls) is a precision sport where the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical balls (called bowls) closer to a smaller white ball (the jack) than ones opponent is able to do. ... Netball is a team sport similar to and derived from basketball. ... Sepak Takraw (Kick Volleyball) is a fast growing and popular sport in Asia. ... Shooting is the act of causing a gun to fire at a target. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Futsal is the indoor version of association football (soccer) that is officially sanctioned by footballs international governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). ... Softball is a team sport in which a ball, eleven to twelve inches (28 to 30. ... Squash racquet and ball Squash is an indoor racquet sport which was, until recently, called Squash Rackets, a reference to the squashable soft ball used in the game (compared with the harder ball used in its parent game Racquets or Rackets--see below). ... A breaststroke swimmer A dog swimming Swimming describes any method by which living creatures move themselves through water apart from walking on the bottom. ... Wang Liqin winning a forehand drive against Jörg Rosskopf. ... Taekwondo is the Korean national sport and martial art, and is also one of the worlds most commonly practiced sports. ... Tennis ball This article is about the sport. ... A wheelchair tennis player serving. ... Bowling ball and two pins Ten-Pin Bowling is a sport with a simple aim—knock down as many pins as possible by rolling a ball along a pathway called the lane. ... Touch football is a version of American football in which the players tackle the individual carrying the ball only by touching him with one or two hands, based on whether one is playing the one-hand touch or two-hand touch variety, as opposed to tackling him bodily to the... A triathlon is an athletic event made up of three contests (from the Greek). ... A beach volleyball game in progress Beach volleyball in Vancouver Beach volleyball has evolved from the popular social games of volleyball played on many beaches around the world. ... Water polo is a team water sport, which can be best described as a combination of swimming, football (soccer), basketball, ice hockey, and wrestling. ... Weightlifting is a sport where competitors attempt to lift heavy weights mounted on steel bars, the execution of which is a combination of power and technique. ...

Australian Football at the Arafura Games

In 1995, the Singapore Wombats, New Zealand Falcons, Hong Kong Dragons, Papua New Guinea Mosquitos, Nauru Chiefs and Japan Samurai competed at the Arafura games in the inaugural Australian Rules Football competition, with Singapore and Japan playing as a combined unit. The Falcons are New Zealands national Australian rules football team. ... The Mosquitos (aka Binatangs - local PNG name for small insects) are Papua New Guineas national Australian Rules football team that represents the clubs and teams of AFL PNG and is one of the nations most successful sporting teams, ranked 3rd in the world behind Australia and New Zealand. ... The Chiefs are Naurus national Australian Rules football team competing at the sport in various international competitions. ... The Samurai are Japans national Australian rules football side. ...

Nauru did not return in 1997, but Australian sides in the Central Desert Eagles, Combined Australian Defence Forces and a Northern Territory Football League side joined the fray. The Australian Defence Force and NTFL sides were too strong, playing off for the Australian gold. The International Gold Medal was won by Papua New Guinea, with the Silver Medal going to New Zealand. The NTFL is a 7 team Australian rules football league operating in the Northern Territory. ... Gold Medal is an album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004. ...

In 1999, the [[Samoa (Australian rules football National Team) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia|Samoa Bulldogs]] debuted beginning the game with the Sivi Tau (war dance) before the New Zealanders had finished their haka. The tournament again featured 8 sides, the six international sides joined by the Central Desert Eagles and the Northern Territory under 16s representative side. Papua New Guinea again won the gold, NZ the silver and Samoa the Bronze Medal. Haka is the generic name for Maori war dance. ...

2001 saw only four sides compete, these being Japan, Nauru, the Central Desert Eagles and a Northern Territory Super Rules squad. Nauru won the gold, the Central Desert Eagles the silver and the Northern Territory side the bronze.

In 2005, Japan were the only international attendees.

In 2007 it is expected that many Oceania sides will once again participate.

External link

• Official website