Arafura Northern Territory - The Olympics Sports games

The Arafura Games began as the Arafura Sports Festival in 1991 with 1,500 athletes competing in seven sports.

From 1998 known as the Arafura Games and held every two years.

The Arafura Games was a well-developed international multi-sport event that attracted participants from the Asia-

Pacific region and beyond, with the 2011 events attracting 1,600 visiting athletes.

The Arafura Games fostered goodwill between sporting neighbours and shared sporting and cultural knowledge

within the Asia-Pacific region.

Significantly, the Arafura Games also provided Northern Territory sporting organisations with the opportunity to

develop facilities, coaches, officials as well as athletes.

In terms of community engagement, the Arafura Games recruited over 1,000 local and interstate volunteers to

support the event and also provided opportunity for interaction with local primary and secondary schools.

The Northern Territory Government is proud to announce that the 2019 Arafura Games will a biennial event hold

over eight days, from 26 April to 4 May 2019, and will lead by Mr Ken Vowles MLA, Minister for Arafura Games.

To ensure maximum inclusion in events, the Games will host a range of sporting competitions tiers from amateur

through to sub-elite.

The 2019 Arafura Games will also showcase the Northern Territory’s unique arts, culture, history and trade and

investment opportunities.

It is an event through which friendship, goodwill and understanding between competing nations and the Northern

Territory fosters.

17 sports have been chosen for the 2019 Arafura Games including:

Athletics, Table Tennis, Boxing, Football (Soccer), Badminton, Swimming, Tennis, Muay Thai, Sailing,

Indoor Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Weightlifting, Basketball, Hockey, Netball, Dragon Boating and Sepak Takraw.

An integrated para program will include in Athletics, Swimming, Tennis, Netball and Table Tennis. —- Arafura Games

About Arafura Games 2019