Beach cricket being played at Cottesloe Beach in Perth. The bowler bowls to batsman, while the rest field. Sport in Australia is popular and widespread. Testament to this is the level of achievement in the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games as well as other international sporting events in comparison to the population of the country, particularly in the areas of water sports and team sports. The climate and economy provide ideal conditions for Australians to participate in and watch sports. In 2000-01, total government funding for sport and recreation activities was A$2,124.2 million. Of this, the Commonwealth Government contributed $19.89 million (9%), state and territory governments contributed $875.2 million (41%) and local governments provided $1,050.1 million (49%). The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the federal government body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia and operates the Australian Institute of Sport. Each state and territory in Australia also have agencies responsible for sport and recreation policy. Each state and territory also operates their own institutes and academies of sport. Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played. According to official government statistics, in 2005–06, the most popular sports in terms of crowd attendance were Australian rules football, horse racing, rugby league, motorsport, cricket, rugby union and soccer in descending order. Research by a marketing company found that those attracting the "most interest" among adults in capital cities during 2006-07 were cricket, swimming, tennis, Australian rules football, soccer, rugby league, rugby union and motor sport. According to official statistics, the most popular forms of "physical recreation activity" among Australians aged 15 years and over, in 2005-06 were walking, aerobics/fitness, swimming, golf, tennis, soccer and Australian rules football. According to some sources, the cultural significance and long history of cricket in Australia means that it is a de facto "national sport". Armchair sports fans drive high television ratings for sports programmes. In fact, nine of the top 10 highest rated shows in 2005 were sports programmes. The most watched sport on Australian television is rugby league with an aggregate audience of 128.5 million viewers in 2009. Such is the Australian population’s devotion towards sport that it is sometimes humorously described as "Australia’s national religion". Popular comedic identities such as The Twelfth Man and Roy and HG send up Australia’s love of sport through the use of parody. Professional sport leagues in Australia use a model based on franchises and closed league membership, as is standard in North America. The "European" system of professional sports league organisation, characterised by promotion and relegation, is foreign at professional level though used widely in amateur competitions. In October 2007, the Australian Government has announced a new drug policy for sport that it hopes will be adopted by all sporting bodies and will involve tests of 6000 illicit drugs a year. |
