page_title: White Africans of European ancestry
section_title: Sports
hierarchical_section_title: White Africans of European ancestry / Sports
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Die namibische Rugbynationalmannschaft beim Aufwärmen im Telstra Dome. English: Namibia Rugby Team 7s team warming up at the Telstra Dome.
context_page_description: White Africans of European ancestry are descendants of any of the white ethnic groups originating on the European continent. In 1989, there were an estimated 4.6 million white people with European ancestry on the African continent. Most are of Dutch, British, Portuguese, German, and French descent; and to a lesser extent there are also those who descended from Italians, Spaniards, and Greeks. The majority once lived along the Mediterranean coast or in Southern Africa.
  The earliest permanent European communities in Africa were formed at the Cape of Good Hope; Luanda, in Angola; São Tomé Island; and Santiago, Cape Verde through the introduction of Portuguese and Dutch traders or military personnel. Other groups of settlers appeared when France and Great Britain colonized Africa. Before regional decolonization, white Africans may have numbered up to 6 million persons and were represented in every part of the continent.
  A voluntary exodus of colonials accompanied independence in most African nations. Portuguese Mozambicans, who numbered about 200,000 in 1975, departed en masse because of economic policies directed against their wealth; they now number 82,000.
context_section_description: Many European sports have become popular in Africa after the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Football was first introduced in the 19th century by British colonists in South Africa in 1862. The sport quickly was quickly spread throughout the continent by missionaries, explorers, and other Europeans on the continent. French settlers in Algeria were the first to introduce formalized clubs on the continent beginning with Club Athlétique d'Oran in 1897. The sport continues to be popular amongst Portuguese South Africans who founded the Vasco de Gama Football Club.
  Cricket was introduced by British serviceman shortly after the takeover of the Cape Colony from the Dutch. The first known match in South Africa took place in 1808. The sport continues to be popular amongst White Africans of British descent. Since the end of apartheid the sport has seen increased popularity with Afrikaners. Cricket was also played by Europeans in other countries on that are members of the commonwealth. The first recorded match of cricket in Zimbabwe took place in 1890. Following from this point the sport continued to grow with the arrival of more European settlers. The sport continued to be dominated by Europeans throughout much of the 20th century, and in 1983 they successfully defeated Australia in a stunning victory. Cricket in Zimbabwe continued to be dominated by Europeans however the political turmoil of the 2000s in the country ended the golden age of cricket in Zimbabwe.
  Field Hockey is also popular amongst White Africans. In South Africa the majority of players at the Olympic level are of European descent. Similarly the Zimbabwean field hockey team famous for its 1980 gold medal match was historically dominated by white Africans. The sport has a long history on the continent, and its modern iteration was first introduced by European settlers.
  Similarly to cricket, football, and field hockey; rugby was first introduced to the continent by the British. The sport was initially played in 1861 at Diocesan College but it quickly spread to the local population. The sport became popular among Afrikaners after the first club outside of Cape Town had been created being in Stellenbosch. The expansion of European settlement on the Cape towards the interior continued to increase the sports popularity. The Second Boer War led to an increased interest in rugby by Boers as a result of being interned in POW camps and the increased British presence throughout the region.
  Competitive swimming is also popular amongst white Africans. Famous swimmers such as Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, and Jason Dunford of Kenya, and numerous South African swimmers are of European descent.
caption: The Namibia rugby team is largely white
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