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Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league.
New Zealand competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The New Zealand Olympic Committee was represented by 151 athletes and 100 officials at these Summer Olympics.
Sport in New Zealand largely reflects the nation's colonial heritage, with some of the most popular sports being rugby union, rugby league, cricket, association football, basketball, horse racing and netball, which are primarily played in Commonwealth countries. New Zealand has enjoyed success in many sports, notably rugby union, rugby league, cricket, America's Cup sailing, world championship and Olympics events, and motorsport.
Baseball at the Summer Olympics unofficially debuted at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, and was first contested as a demonstration sport at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. It became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, then was played at each Olympiad through the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The sport was then dropped from the Summer Olympic program, until being revived for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo for a single appearance. It is next expected to be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Sports in the United States are an important part of the nation's culture. Historically, the national sport has been baseball. However, in more recent decades, American football has been the most popular sport in terms of broadcast viewership audience. Basketball has grown into the mainstream American sports scene since the 1980s, with ice hockey and soccer doing the same around the turn of the 21st century.
Softball was on the Olympic program from 1996 to 2008. It was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was removed from the program for 2012 and 2016, but was added for a one-off appearance, along with baseball, for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The Australia women's national softball team, also known as the Aussie Spirit, is the national softball team of Australia. It is governed by Softball Australia and takes part in international softball competitions. They are one of Australia's most successful women's sporting teams on the world stage, and they have achieved outstanding results over the last 3 decades. Alongside the USA team, the Aussie Spirit are the only other team to medal at all 4 Olympics that softball was included as a sport in the Olympics program. At the inaugural Women's Softball World Championship held in Melbourne, 1965. Australia claimed the first ever title, winning Gold and stamped themselves as a pioneer in the sport.
Jennifer Lynn Brundage is an American, former collegiate All-American softball player and current associate head coach for Michigan. She played college softball for the UCLA Bruins from 1992 to 1995 and won the 1992 Women's College World Series. Brundage was named Honda Sports Award for softball as Player of the Year in 1995. As a part of Team USA softball, she won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Haylea Petrie is a softball player from Australia, who won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
The New Zealand women's national rugby league team, also known as the Kiwi Ferns or New Zealand Kiwi Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's rugby league. They are administered by the New Zealand Rugby League.
Many of the national sports teams of New Zealand have been given nicknames, officially or otherwise, based on the iconic status of the All Blacks rugby team, and the silver tree fern of their logo. The practice became controversial when Badminton New Zealand used the name "Black Cocks" for a period in 2004.
Helen Townsend is a New Zealand secondary school teacher and Olympic softball player from Christchurch.
Amy Justine Turner is an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer.
Tyla King is a New Zealand international rugby union player, professional rugby league player and Olympian.
Niall Williams-Guthrie is a New Zealand rugby league player. She has represented New Zealand in rugby sevens and touch rugby at an international level. She has won silver medals as part of New Zealand's touch football team in 2011, and in the 2016 Rio Olympics as a member of New Zealand's sevens team. She also won gold medals in sevens in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Rhonda Hira is a New Zealand softball player. Hira, the most capped women’s softball player in New Zealand national team history with 107 games, was the top position player on the 2000 New Zealand team that placed sixth in the Olympics. She hit .375 in six games played. She made her debut with New Zealand National Softball Team in 1983, and represented the 'White Sox' in five world championships, winning a bronze medal at her first tournament in 1986, and silver in 1990.She is the highest capped New Zealand women's player in softball. Was inducted into the International Softball Hall of Fame (ISF) in 2009.
William Warbrick is a New Zealand professional rugby league rugby player who plays for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Peter Alfred Charles Pokai is a New Zealand former basketball player. He played 13 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) and represented the New Zealand Tall Blacks at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Alena Saili is a New Zealand rugby sevens player.is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side rugby union, and is a member of the New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team.
References
- ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Zavana Aranga". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ↑ "Kiwi Ferns - Roll of Honour". New Zealand Rugby League. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ↑ Coffey, John (5 August 1998). "Five Cantabrians in NZ rugby league squad". The Press (Christchurch).
