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Over 100 Australian Defence Force athletes are competing in the Arafura Games, which kicked off on Friday in Darwin.
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The competition runs for the next five weeks in the Northern Territory, and the Australian Army’s 1st Brigade Commander, Brigadier Matt Pearse, AM, said the ADF was honoured to accept the invitation to compete against 1,500 local, national and international athletes from over 40 nations.
“We are excited to have several local teams from 1st Brigade as well as interstate ADF teams participating in this year’s Games,” BRIG Pearse said.
“Sport is an important part of ADF life, it’s a great way to develop teamwork and connect us with local communities, fostering life-long friendships.”
The Games have returned to the Northern Territory for the first time in eight years, and were named after the Arafura Sea on the Arnhem Land coast.
The games were first established in 1991 to build ties with local communities and build friendships.
The ADF and 1st Brigade teams will participate in six of the 17 offered sports disciplines, including netball, football, basketball, volleyball, sailing and squash.
Defence Force Recruiting is also on hand to support competitors and to offer advice about life in uniform and the unique opportunities it presents.
Senior Military Recruiting Officer Darwin, Flight Lieutenant Brendan Knopke, hopes to use the Games to raise awareness of the pre-recruitment pathways available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
“We have a number of programs that contribute to closing the gap, boosting participants’ skills, knowledge and confidence to set them up for a successful role in the ADF,” FLTLT Knopke said.
