Sport

Australian rules football is the most popular in Nauru. The country has a 12-team senior league, see Australian rules football in Nauru, and it is a popular spectator sport. Nauru has represented Australia at the Arafura Games, the Australian Football International Cup, and the Barassi International Youth Tournament. The national team, known as the "Chiefs," finished eighth in the International Cup in 2002 and won gold at the Arafura Games. Nauru's national basketball team made international headlines in 1969 when it defeated the Solomon Islands, which have nearly 60 times the population of Nauru, and Fiji, which has nearly 100 times the population of Nauru.

Nauruans also enjoy sports such as soccer, softball, tennis, sailing, swimming, and golf. Nauru has only a few sports grounds. Yaren has the only stadium, but it is outdated and does not meet international standards. A larger and more modern sports stadium is being built in Meneng, but the project has been halted due to a lack of funds.

Catching birds (Black Noddy) as they return from foraging at sea to the island near sunset is a traditional 'sport.' The men then prepare to throw their lasso on the beach. The Nauruan lasso is a flexible rope with a weight attached at one end. When a bird comes over, they throw their lasso up, hit or drape themselves over the bird, which then falls down and is seized and roosted as a pet.