Captain James Cook was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
The Cook Islands competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004.
Captain Tobias Furneaux was an English navigator and Royal Navy officer, who accompanied James Cook on his second voyage of exploration. He was one of the first men to circumnavigate the world in both directions, and later commanded a British vessel during the American Revolutionary War.
The Cook Islands national football team is governed by the Cook Islands Football Association. With a population of around 18,000 people it remains one of the smallest FIFA teams.
On behalf of the Cook Islands, the Cook Islands Sports and Olympic Association (renamed the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee in 2002 sent a team that competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Rugby union in the Cook Islands is a popular sport. It is a tier three rugby playing nation. They began playing international rugby in 1971 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. They are currently rated 55th, with 2,258 registered players and 21 clubs.
The Cook Islands competed in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. The Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee was formed and recognized in 1986.
The Cook Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain from 25 July to 9 August 1992. This was the island nation's second appearance at a Summer Olympics, following the 1988 Summer Olympics. The delegation to Barcelona consisted of two competitors, track and field athlete Mark Sherwin and weightlifter Sam Nunuke Pera. Sherwin failed to advance out of his heat in the men's 100 meters, while Pera did not complete a lift in the men's 100 kilograms category.
On behalf of the Cook Islands, the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee sent a team to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, marking its sixth consecutive appearance at the Olympics since its debut in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The country sent four athletes to the Games across three sports and four distinct events. No athlete of the Cook Islander delegation progressed past the first rounds in their events and did not go on to win medals. Pera was the nation's flag bearer at the ceremonies.
Cook Islands Cricket Association is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in Cook Islands. Its current headquarters is in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Cook Islands Cricket Association is Cook Islands's representative at the International Cricket Council and is an affiliate member and has been a member of that body since 2000. It is also a member of the East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council. Cricket in the Cook Islands has been around for over a hundred years. The first official record of cricket is in 1910 with the registration of the Rarotonga Cricket Association, however photos pre date this to at least the late 19th century. In 2012 CICA was struck of the register. The CICA organises the Cook Islands men's and women's national teams.
Akava'ine is a Cook Islands Māori word which has come, since the 2000s, to refer to transgender people of Māori descent from the Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands compete as a part of netball's Oceania region. More than 1,000 players have registered to play the sport. Participation in the game grew during the 1970s. Much of this is possible because of the national governing organisation, the Cook Islands Netball Association which is a member of Oceania Netball Federation. Because of the level of organisation and the game's development, the country has participated at several international events including the Pacific Games, the Commonwealth Games, the World Games, the Oceania Netball Tournament, the World Youth Netball Championship, and the International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament. A demonstration of the Cook Islands success can be found by looking at the national team: It is one of the top ranked in the world.
Netball in Oceania is generally regarded as a woman's sport. Women's sports in Oceania have traditionally had a very low profile. Despite this, netball is popular in Oceania, with its growth partly because of New Zealand encouraging the game and providing money for the training of coaches, umpires and other netball development needs. In New Zealand and in neighbouring Australia, netball is one of the most popular sports played by women.
Cook Islands, represented by eight athletes, competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's seventh appearance at the Olympics.
Cook Islands is competing at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain on July 20 to August 4, 2013.
The Oceania Youth Handball Championship is an Under 19 for Boys and Under 18 for Girls handball tournament organised by the Oceania Continent Handball Federation. The winners of these competition qualify for the IHF Men's Youth World Championship and IHF Women's Youth World Championship respectively.
Cook Islands competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.
The Cook Islands competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15, 2018. The Cook Islands delegation consisted of 18 athletes that competed across four sports: athletics, lawn bowls, swimming and weightlifting. It was The Cook Islands's 11th appearance at the Commonwealth Games.
