Arafura Games
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
The Arafura Games is a sporting 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.
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 Games were canceled in 2003 due to concern over the SARS virus.
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
