Sports
The state of Queensland is represented in all of Australia's national sporting competitions and is also host to a number of domestic and international sporting events. The most popular winter and summer team sports are Rugby league, Rugby union and cricket, respectively. Rugby league football's annual State of Origin series is a major event in the Queensland sporting calendar, with the Queensland Maroons in 2012 winning a record seventh series in a row. The Brisbane Broncos are the state's most successful team of any sport, having won 3 premierships in the NRL rugby league era and 6 in total during their 23 year existence.
Queensland's dominance is not restricted to rugby league. The early part of this century saw the AFL's Brisbane Lions claim a hat-trick of premierships between 2001–2003 inclusive, and coming so close to a record-equalling fourth, whilst recently Brisbane Roar FC won back to back A-League titles in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 season . Just four years after being branded "the joke of rugby union", the Queensland Reds won its first Super Rugby title in July 2011. The Queensland Firebirds were also an outstanding team in 2011, going undefeated in the Netball ANZ Championship to win the Grand Final.
Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.
Major professional teams include:
- Australian Football: Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns
- Basketball: Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze
- Cricket: Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat
- Football (soccer): Brisbane Roar, North Queensland Fury (no longer in the A-League) and Gold Coast United (no longer in the A-League)
- Netball: Queensland Firebirds
- Rugby League:
- Representative: Queensland Maroons
- Clubs: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys
- State Competition: Queensland Cup
- Rugby Union: Queensland Reds
Events include:
- Gold Coast Indy 300
- State of Origin series
- NRL All Stars game
- Queensland 400
- Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro
Read more about this topic: Queensland
Famous quotes containing the word sports:
“The whole idea of image is so confused. On the one hand, Madison Avenue is worried about the image of the players in a tennis tour. On the other hand, sports events are often sponsored by the makers of junk food, beer, and cigarettes. What’s the message when an athlete who works at keeping her body fit is sponsored by a sugar-filled snack that does more harm than good?”
—Martina Navratilova (b. 1956)
“...I didn’t come to this with any particular cachet. I was just a person who grew up in the United States. And when I looked around at the people who were sportscasters, I thought they were just people who grew up in the United States, too. So I thought, Why can’t a woman do it? I just assumed everyone else would think it was a swell idea.”
—Gayle Gardner, U.S. sports reporter. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 85 (June 17, 1991)
“Guys do not have a genetic blueprint that allows them to understand or love sports.”
—Lesley Visser, U.S. sports reporter and announcer. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 82 (June 17, 1991)