POPULAR SPORTS

Water sports such as surfing, water skiing, sailing, dominate the Australian way of life because there are a lot of people who live near the seaside.

But they are keen on tennis, cricket and rugby too.

 A) Tennis

Australian people are fond of tennis. The tennis internationals include 4 tournaments among which the Australian Open in Melbourne Park.

This country has got a lot of champions: Hewitt, Philippoussis …

So, they have often won the Davis’ Cup which is a big sporting event.

B) Cricket

Cricket is exclusively an Anglo-Saxon sport. In France, this sport is unknown but it is very popular in England and Australia. A match can last one week, it’s very long! In England, the players stop playing when it is 5 o’clock because they drink tea!

C) Rugby

It is said, rugby was born in 1823 in England. In an English college called rugby, a pupil named William Webb Ellis took the ball under his arm to score a goal.

Afterwards, rugby developed in 12 countries: Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Rumania, New Zealand and Australia of course!

The Australian emblem is the wallaby which is a kind of kangaroo.

The Australian team won the world cup in 1991 and 1999.

Their team is known throughout the world.

Next to Australia, there is New Zealand: the All Blacks. Their team is mystic. Their emblem is the silvery fern. Before every match, they perform a traditional song: the “Haka”. It is awesome.

They won the first World Cup, it was in 1987.
 

In Australia, sport is part of the Australian way of life.

In 2000, Australia organized the Olympic Games in Sydney.