 | |
| Full name | Club Omnisports de Hmelek Loisirs |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 August 17 |
| League | Promotion d'Honneur Sud |
| 2022 | 6th, Sud |
| Website | Club website |
CO Hmelek is a New Caledonian association football club based in Nouméa currently playing in the Promotion d'Honneur Sud. [1]
The club was created on 17 August 1997. [2] It competed in the 2022 Coupe de Calédonie in a match against AS Lössi. [3]
New Caledonia is a sui generis collectivity of overseas France in the southwest Pacific Ocean, south of Vanuatu, about 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia, and 17,000 km (11,000 mi) from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets. The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea. French people, especially locals, call Grande Terre "Le Caillou".
Nouméa is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific's most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.
The New Caledonia men's national football team is the national team of New Caledonia and is controlled by the Fédération Calédonienne de Football. Although they were only admitted to FIFA in 2004, they have been participating in the OFC Nations Cup since its inception. They have been one of this relatively small region's strongest teams, finishing second in 2008 and 2012, and third in 1973 and 1980. They were the top ranked OFC nation at number 95 in September 2008, making them only the fourth country from the confederation to have reached the global top 100.
Two flags are in use in New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France. Up to 2010, the only flag used to represent New Caledonia was the flag of France, a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue, white, and red known to English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour. However, in July 2010, the Congress of New Caledonia voted in favour of a wish to fly the Kanak flag of the independence movement FLNKS alongside the French Tricolour. The wish, legally non-binding, proved controversial. A majority of New Caledonian communes, but not all, now fly both flags, the rest flying only the French Tricolour.
AS Magenta is a New Caledonian football team playing at the top level. It is based in Nouméa. Their home stadium is Stade Numa-Daly Magenta.
Cèmuhî is an Oceanic language spoken on the island of New Caledonia, in the area of Poindimié, Koné, and Touho. The language has approximately 3,300 speakers and is considered a regional language of France.
Nouméa Magenta Airport is a domestic airport on the main island of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The airport is 3 km (2 mi) east-northeast of the city centre of Nouméa, the capital, approximately 38 km (24 mi) southeast of La Tontouta International Airport. In 2017, 428,679 passengers used the airport.
"Soyons unis, devenons frères" is the officially recognised anthem of New Caledonia. It was written by a group from the children's choir Mélodia in 2008 and officially adopted in 2010. It is not the national anthem of New Caledonia; as a special collectivity of France, the national anthem is the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise". During official ceremonies or sports events, "La Marseillaise" is performed first, followed by "Soyons unis, devenons frères".
Félix Tagawa is a retired footballer who played as a striker. He last played for AS Dragon in the Tahiti Division Fédérale. He is the current manager of New Caledonian club Hienghène Sport.
The 2018 Coupe de Calédonie was the 63rd edition of the national cup in New Caledonian football. AS Magenta won the title beating Hienghène Sport in the final, earning the right to represent New Caledonia in the 2018–19 Coupe de France, entering the seventh round.
An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia on 4 October 2020. The poll was the second to be held under the terms of the Nouméa Accord, following a similar referendum in 2018.
The 2019 Coupe de Calédonie was the 64th edition of the national cup in New Caledonian football. AS Magenta were the defending champions.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia on 18 March 2020. All cases are on the main island of Grand Terre and are related to travel abroad. On 7 May, all cases had recovered.
An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific, on 12 December 2021. The poll was the third and final to be held under the terms of the Nouméa Accord, following votes in 2018 and 2020, in which independence was rejected by 56.7% and 53.3% respectively.
Didier Poidyaliwane was a New Caledonian politician. A pro-independence activist, he was a member of the Caledonian Union (UC) and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) and strongly defended the rights of indigenous Kanak people. He served in the cabinet of Philippe Germain and Thierry Santa as a minister in the Government of New Caledonia.
Miss New Caledonia is a French beauty pageant which selects a representative for the Miss France national competition from the sui generis overseas collectivity of New Caledonia. The first Miss New Caledonia was crowned in 1952, although the pageant was not held regularly until 1980. Until 2007, the competition was known as Miss Caledonia.
Caroline Machoro-Reignier is a Kanak politician in New Caledonia. A member of the pro-independence Caledonian Union, she led the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front alliance in the Congress of New Caledonia from 2011 to 2014. In 1988, she was one of the signatories of the Matignon Agreements between New Caledonian loyalists and separatists.
Events from 2022 in New Caledonia.
Makalu Xowi is a New Caledonian footballer currently playing for Gaïtcha FCN and the New Caledonia national team.
Johann Sidaner is a French association footballer manager. Since 2022, he has managed the New Caledonia national team.