This resource has been generously supported by Optus in association with their sponsorship of the Gold Coast 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games.

Using this resource

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this resource contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive, including the records of people who have passed away.

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education for Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students. It adopts an inquiry learning approach that develops students’ skills in investigating sport in Australian society. 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.

The module uses the National Library’s vast collections to explore how participation in the Commonwealth Games, alongside migration, the media and the involvement of women, para-sport athletes and Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander people, have impacted the ways in which Australians play and understand sport.

Curriculum Links - Sport and Australian Culture
Photo of Robert de Castella winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games Marathon, Brisbane, 1982
Introductory Activities - Sport and Australian Culture
A gold medal standing upright on a white cotton surface. The medal shows a figure holding a trumped and a wine amphorae. Behind the figure is a bust on a stand. In raised lettering around the edge of the medal are the words "Olympiska Spelen Stockholm" The year "1912" is also present.
Themes - Sport and Australian Culture
Photo of a Socceroos player being tackled by a Malaysian player
Concluding Activities - Sport and Australian Culture
Glossary - Sport and Australian Culture
British Imperial Federation map of the world : showing present political status of the various possessions of the British Empire, March 1889
See the Exhibition: Grit and Gold - Tales of a Sporting Nation
Montage of Australian sport stars: Ash Barty, Louise Sauvage, Warrick Cappa, Shane Warne

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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