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Do not fill this in! ===Sport and recreation=== {{Main|Sport in Australia}} [[File:2017 AFL Grand Final panorama during national anthem.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>{{Cite web |date=14 September 2009 |title=National Sports Museum β Heritage Listing |url=http://www.nsm.org.au/The%2520MCG/Heritage%2520Listing.aspx?p=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914092919/http://www.nsm.org.au/The%20MCG/Heritage%20Listing.aspx?p=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 September 2009 |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= }}</ref>]] [[Cricket]] and [[football]] are the predominant sports in Australia during the summer and winter months, respectively. Australia is unique in that it has professional leagues for [[football in Australia|four football codes]], whose relative popularity is [[Barassi Line|divided geographically]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fujak |first=Hunter |date=2022-07-15 |title=The Barassi Line: a globally unique divider splitting Australia's footy fans |url=http://theconversation.com/the-barassi-line-a-globally-unique-divider-splitting-australias-footy-fans-185132 |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> Originating in Melbourne in the 1850s, [[Australian rules football]] is the most popular code in all states except New South Wales and Queensland, where [[rugby league]] holds sway, followed by [[rugby union]].<ref name="researchgate">{{Cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273772263|date=21 December 2013 |title=The 'Barassi Line': Quantifying Australia's Great Sporting Divide |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> [[Association football|Soccer]], while ranked fourth in popularity and resources, has the highest overall participation rates.<ref>{{Cite book|last1 = Skinner |first1 = James |last2 = Zakus H. |first2 = Dwight | last3 = Edwards |first3 = Allan | editor-first= Brown|editor-last = Adam|title = Football and Community in the Global Context: Studies in Theory and Practice|publisher = Routledge|year = 2013|pages = 92β93|chapter = Coming in from the Margins: Ethnicity, Community Support and the Rebranding of Australian Soccer |isbn = 978-1-317-96905-1}}</ref> Cricket is popular across all borders and has been regarded by many Australians as the [[national sport]]. The [[Australia national cricket team|Australian national cricket team]] competed against [[England cricket team|England]] in the first [[Test cricket|Test]] match (1877) and the first [[One Day International]] (1971), and against [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]] in the first [[Twenty20 International]] (2004), winning all three games. It has also participated in every edition of the [[Cricket World Cup]], winning the tournament a record six times.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-19/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-final-india-vs-australia/103124084|title=Australia stuns India to claim record-extending sixth Cricket World Cup crown in Ahmedabad|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=2023-11-20|access-date=2023-11-20}}</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=[https://archive.org/details/olympics0000oxla/page/61 61]|isbn=978-0-7566-1083-8|year=2005|url=https://archive.org/details/olympics0000oxla/page/61}}</ref> and has hosted the Games twice: [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956]] in Melbourne and [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]] in Sydney.<ref name="Davison pp479-80">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=479β80}}</ref> It is also set to host the [[2032 Summer Olympics|2032 Games]] in [[Brisbane]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/brisbane-queensland-announced-as-2032-olympic-games-host-city/100311320 |title=Brisbane announced as 2032 Olympic Games host city at IOC meeting in Tokyo|work=[[ABC News (Australia)]]|date=21 July 2021 |access-date=22 July 2021}}</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 |access-date=23 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726210627/http://www.commonwealthgames.org.au/page/65/by-games |archive-date=26 July 2014 }}</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 [[2018 Commonwealth Games|2018]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecgf.com/games/games_index.asp?linkresults=1|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation |title=Past Commonwealth Games |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315102922/http://www.thecgf.com/games/games_index.asp?linkresults=1 |archive-date=15 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As well as being a regular [[FIFA World Cup]] participant, [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]] has won the [[OFC Nations Cup]] four times and the [[AFC Asian Cup]] onceβthe only country to have won championships in two different FIFA confederations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Linden|first=Julian |title=Factbox β Asian Cup champions Australia|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-asia-australia-factbox-idUKKBN0L40BQ20150131|work=Reuters|publisher=Thomson Reuters|date=31 January 2015 |access-date=6 June 2015}}</ref> Other major international events held in Australia include the [[Australian Open]] tennis [[Grand Slam (tennis)|grand slam]] tournament and the [[Australian Grand Prix|Formula One Australian Grand Prix]]. The annual [[Melbourne Cup]] horse race and the [[Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race|Sydney to Hobart]] yacht race also 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]] |access-date=6 June 2015}}</ref> Australia is also notable for water-based sports, such as swimming and [[surfing in Australia|surfing]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pike|first=Jeffrey |title=Australia|publisher=Langenscheidt Publishing Group|year=2004|isbn=978-9-8123-4799-2|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|author-link=Doug Booth |title=Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand and Surf|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-0-7146-8178-8|page=39}}</ref> [[Winter sport in Australia#Snow sport|Snow sports]] take place primarily in the [[Australian Alps]] and Tasmania.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Kiandra β Culture and History| work = The Sydney Morning Herald| url = https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/kiandra-20040208-gdkq3f.html| access-date = 4 May 2010| date=21 November 2008}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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