Sport

Family of three sitting in the crowded stands of a sports stadium while various events take place on the track and field. The parents seem to be enjoying a warm beverage while looking at their baby who lies in a stroller.

Family having a picnic in the stands, with a baby in one basket, and picnic paraphernalia in the other, Olympic Games, Melbourne, 28 November 1956, nla.obj-148938429

How to watch sports: a lesson from the 1956 Olympics

Browse photographs from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics to learn the top tips for how to watch a sports game.

Blog

A handwritten diary entry in an old fashioned script.

George Thomson, Diary entry for Tuesday 26 May 1868, Diary of George Thomson, 1868-1869, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3308197449

Indigenous Australian cricket team touring England in the 1860s

Australians have often gone to great lengths to see their favourite sporting teams, even back in the 1860s!

First Australians

News article

Jones Collection

Negatives, transparancies, photographs, books, serials, personal papers and oral history interviews related to motorcycles, races and vintage cars.

Collection guide

Black and white photo of British migrant women waving on the deck of a ship

London News Agency Photos Ltd, British women migrants aboard passenger ship, London, ca. 1920s, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138115134

Migration and sport

Topic

With new people and cultures come new ideas and practices. These could be new foods, new religions, new art forms or even new sports.

Digital Classroom

Mitchell Collection

Oral history interviews with prominent Australian women.

Collection guide

More than a medal: An introduction to Grit & Gold

Learn more about the story behind the National Library of Australia's new exhibition.

Blog

Five girls playing a rugby game on a rugby pitch

Photographs of the 2022 Pacifica Youth Rugby Cup

Four photographs of the 2022 Pacifica Youth Rugby Cup have recently been added to our collection.

News article

Two woman in green and gold clothing embracing excitedly in front of a crowd.

Leigh Henningham, Matildas fans reacting to an Australian goal at a public screening of the Australia vs Canada 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup match at Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria, 31 July, nla.obj-3254738517

Photographs of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

The Library commissioned photographers to capture the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

News article

Frontispiece and title page of Melchisédech Thévenot, The Art of Swimming. The second edition. London: Printed for John Lever, 1764, nla.cat-vn7756220

Rare book highlights – Swimming in 1764

How is a rare book about swimming connected to an important early European map of Australia and American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin? Find out in this blog.

Blog

Four illustrations of a man demonstrating the different stages of executing a swimming stroke.

Podporuchik Pokrovskiĭ, Samouchitel sportivnago plavanii︠a︡: sostavleno po novieiǐshim ni︠e︡metskim rukovodstvam I. V. Mang i E. Raush i dopolneno avtorom [detail], 1913, nla.obj-3264329400

Russian lessons on 'Australian' swimming

A 1913 Russian brochure on teaching the 'Australian method' of swimming has recently been added to our collection.

News article

Sir Peter Crisp Collection

696 books and pamphlets relating to freshwater fishing mostly from Britain, as well as many from Australia, New Zealand and America.

Collection guide

A marathon runner smiles and holds his fists up as he runs

Michael Jensen, Robert de Castella winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games Marathon, Brisbane, 1982, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136995791

Sport and Australian culture

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education for Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students. Students will engage with a rich selection of sources and be challenged to draw their own conclusions about the role of sport in Australia’s culture and history.

Digital Classroom

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