View source for Arafura Games

{{Short description|Disability sports event in Darwin, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=August 2008}}
{{One source|date=October 2015}}
}}
{{Infobox sporting event organization
|name         = Arafura Games
|image        =
|caption      =
|image2       = 
|caption2     = 
|abbreviation = 
|motto        = Meeting of Sporting Neighbours
|formation    = 1991
|recurrence   = Biannually
|last         = 
|purpose      = Mixed competition for able-bodied and disabled athletes
|headquarters = Darwin, Australia
|leader_title = 
|leader_name  = 
|website      = {{URL|www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au}}
|remarks      =
}}
The '''Arafura Games''' was a [[multi-sport event]] where athletes with a disability compete in the same program as able-bodied athletes. Competitors from around the world compete in the week-long games held every 2 years in [[Darwin, Northern Territory]], [[Australia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sports.org.au/events/arafura-games |title=Arafura Games |website=Sports.org.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410062129/http://www.sports.org.au/events/arafura-games |archive-date=April 10, 2013 }}</ref>

Called a "meeting of Sporting Neighbours", the Arafura Games takes its name from the [[Arafura Sea]], which lies between northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Nations along the Arafura Sea originally formed the basis of the Arafura Games, however in recent years countries from further afield have participated, including United States, [[England]], [[Brazil]] and [[Liechtenstein]].

==History==
First held in 1991. A foundation sport of the Arafura Games, Basketball has grown from a 4 team competition with teams from around the Darwin region to an 8 team international competition with teams from all over the world. The Games were known as the Arafura Sports Festival up until 1997. These Games were the first ever international sporting festival to have [[Australian Rules Football]] as an international competition sport in its own right.  The [[International Australian Football Council]] was formed after the 1995 Games, playing an important role in promoting Aussie Rules until dissolving in 2001.

The Arafura Games were cancelled in 2003 due to concern over the [[SARS virus]]. From 2005 onwards, the Arafura Games included events for athletes with physical [[Disability|disabilities]]. The 2007 Arafura Games received patronage from the [[International Paralympic Committee]] (IPC).

In 2011, the Arafura Games incorporated the Oceania Paralympic Championships for the sports of athletics,
swimming, powerlifting, and table tennis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abf-online.org/zipped/ArafuraGames2011_FactSheet.pdf |title=Arafura Games 2011}}</ref>

The 2013 Arafura Games was cancelled by the newly elected CLP government on 31 October 2012 as it "costs too much to run".<ref name="ntnews.com.au">{{cite web |url=http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/10/31/314749_ntsport.html |title=Arafura Games blows the budget |work=NT News |date=31 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130512155203/http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/10/31/314749_ntsport.html |archive-date=12 May 2013 |access-date=31 October 2012 }}</ref>

After an eight-year hiatus, the 2019 Arafura Games were held from 27 April to 4 May 2019.

The 2021 games were postponed until 2023 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], however it was later announced by the then Major Events Minister [[Natasha Fyles]], that all future Arafura Games were to be [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-13/nt-arafura-games-in-darwin-cancelled-amid-covid-19-uncertainty/100288936 scrapped].
==Editions==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Edition
!Year
!Dates
!Location
!Country
!Participants
!Countries
|-
| 1
| 1991
|
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 2
| 1993
|
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 3
| 1995
|
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 4
| 1997
|
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 5
| 1999
|
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 6
| 2001
| 19–26 May
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
| 3100
| 25
|-
| –
| 2003
| ''cancelled''
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 7
| 2005
| 14–21 May
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 8
| 2007
| 12–19 May
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 9
| 2009
| 9–16 May
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 10
| 2011
| 6–14 May
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| –
| 2013
| ''cancelled''
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| 11
| 2019<ref>{{cite web|title=The Arafura Games|url=http://www.topendsports.com/events/games/arafura/index.htm|website=topendsports.com|access-date=20 December 2017}}</ref>
| 27 April–4 May
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| –
|2021
|postponed due to [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]]
|[[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
|{{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|-
| –
| 2023 
| Cancelled and all future events cancelled
| [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
|
|}

==Basketball==
Conducted under [[FIBA|Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA)]] conditions and Guidelines, Basketball is played at the [[Darwin Basketball Stadium]], Abala Road Marrara, in the [[Marrara Sporting Complex]].

In recent years, USA squad players from university teams dominated the competition. The Northern Territory team have been shaded in the last 4 Arafura Games by the Americans and only their depth on the bench has let them down. The Northern Territory have won the Silver medal in the past 4 Arafura games. 2007 Arafura Games [http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=6-2775-0-0-0 Basketball results]:

:'''Gold''' 	''United States of America: USA Colleges''
:
:'''Silver''' 	''Northern Territory: Northern Territory''
:
:'''Bronze''' 	''Australian Indigenous: Australian Indigenous''

==Sports==
{{col begin}}
{{col-2}}
*[[Sport of athletics|Athletics]] – including [[Paralympic athletics]] and Olympic events
*[[Badminton]] (2007, 2009, 2019, 2023)
*[[Basketball]]
*[[Boxing]]
*[[Cricket]] – Twenty20 format
*[[Field hockey]]
*[[Association football|Football]] (soccer) – including [[Paralympic football]] events
*[[Golf]]
*International [[lifesaving]]
*[[Muay Thai]]
*[[Sepak takraw]]
*[[Shooting sports|Shooting]] – Clay Target
*Shooting – Pistol (IPSC)
*Shooting – Pistol/Air Rifle (ISSF)
*[[Squash (sport)|Squash]]
*[[Swimming (sport)|Swimming]] – including [[Paralympic swimming]] events
*[[Table tennis]] – including [[Paralympic table tennis]] events
*[[Ten-pin bowling]]
*[[Triathlon]]
*[[Indoor volleyball|Volleyball]]
*[[Olympic weightlifting|Weightlifting]] – including [[Paralympic powerlifting]] events ({{DetailsLink|Weightlifting at the 2011 Arafura Games}})
*[[Water polo]]
{{col-end}}

Other sports played at the Arafura Games:
* [[Netball]]
* [[Rugby Union]]

==Participating countries==
{{col begin}}
{{col-4}}
;East Asia
* {{CHN}}
* {{HKG}}
* {{JPN}}
* {{KOR}}
* {{PRK}}
* {{TPE}}
;South Asia
* {{BGD}}
* {{IND}}
* {{PAK}}
* {{NEP}}
* {{LKA}}
;Central Asia
* {{KAZ}}
* {{UZB}}
* {{TKM}}
* {{TJK}}
* {{KGZ}}
;SouthEast Asia
* {{BRU}}
* {{CAM}}
* {{INA}}
* {{LAO}}
* {{MAS}}
* {{PHI}}
* {{SGP}}
* {{THA}}
* {{TLS}}
{{col-4}}
;Oceania/ Pacific
* {{AUS}}
* {{COK}}
* {{FIJ}}
* {{GUM}}
* {{NRU}}
* {{NZL}}
* {{PNG}}
* {{ASA}}
* {{SAM}}
* {{TAH}}
* {{TGA}}
;AUS States/ territories
* {{flaglink|ACT|}}
* {{flaglink|NSW|}}
* {{flaglink|AU-NT|}}
* {{flaglink|QLD|}}
* {{flaglink|AU-SA|}}
* {{flaglink|TAS|}}
* {{flaglink|Victoria|(Australia)}}
* {{flaglink|AU-WA|}}
;AUS Other
*[[Australian Defence Force]]
* [[Image:Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg|22px]] [[Indigenous Australians]]
{{col-4}}
;The Americas
* {{ARG}}
* {{BMU}}
* {{BRA}}
* {{CAN}}
* {{COL}}
* {{MEX}}
* {{TRI}}
* {{USA}}
* {{VEN}}

;The [[Persian Gulf]]
* {{BHR}}
* {{IRN}}
* {{IRQ}}
* {{OMA}}
* {{QAT}}
* {{KSA}}
* {{KUW}}
* {{UAE}}
{{col-4}}
;Europe
* {{ESP}}
* {{GBR}}
* {{FRA}}
* {{GER}}
* {{GRE}} 
* {{IRL}}
* {{LIE}}
* {{NED}}
* {{POL}}
* {{RUS}}
* {{UKR}}
* {{SRB}}
* {{MNE}}
* {{SUI}}
* {{SWE}}
;Africa
* {{ANG}}
* {{CMR}}
* {{COD}}
* {{COG}}
* {{EGY}}
* {{KEN}}
* {{MAR}}
* {{GHA}}
* {{NGA}}
* {{RSA}}
{{col-end}}

==See also==
* [[Australian Youth Olympic Festival]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [http://websites.sportstg.com/select_node.cgi?cID=1413&p=6 Archive of results - 2007, 2009 & 2011]

==External links==
*[http://www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601085302/http://www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au/ |date=1 June 2009 }}

{{Multi-sport events}}
{{coord|12|23|57|S|130|53|14|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Arafura Games| ]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1991]]
[[Category:Disabled multi-sport events]]
[[Category:Disability in Oceania]]
[[Category:Multi-sport events in Australia]]
[[Category:Sports festivals in Australia]]
[[Category:Sports competitions in the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Sport in Darwin, Northern Territory]]