page_title: Culture of the Cook Islands
section_title: Sports
hierarchical_section_title: Culture of the Cook Islands / Sports
caption_attribution_description: English: Kenya sevens team playing the Cook Islands
context_page_description: The culture of the Cook Islands reflects the traditions of its fifteen islands as a Polynesian island country, spread over 1,800,000 square kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean. It is in free association with New Zealand. Its traditions are based on the influences of those who settled the islands over several centuries. Polynesian people from Tahiti settled in the Cook Islands in the 6th century. The Portuguese captain, Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, made the first recorded European landing in the islands in the early 17th century, and well over a hundred years later, in the 18th century, the British navigator, Captain James Cook arrived, giving the islands their current name. Missionaries developed a written language, bringing schools and Christianity to the Cook Islands in the early 19th century. Cook Islands Māori, also known as Māori Kūki 'Āirani or Rarotongan, is the country's official language.
  The Culture Division of the Cook Islands Government supports and preserves the country's national heritage.
context_section_description: Like in many of the other islands of the Pacific, Rugby Union is a popular sport. The Cook Islands national rugby union team began playing on the international stage in 1971. Sevens rugby is also played and has its own association, as does netball, sevens rugby, weightlifting and powerlifting, table tennis, Tae Kwon-Do, and volleyball. The Cook Islands Round Cup is the top division of the Cook Islands Football Association and plays at the National Stadium among other venues.
  Bowling is popular, and the Cook Islands have at least six clubs including Ikurangi Women's Bowling Club, Parekura Men's Bowling Club, Parekura Women's Bowling Club, and Rarotonga Men's Bowling Club. It is presided over by the Cook Islands Lawn Bowling Federation, and the Cook Islands Bowls Carnival Tour is organised annually. There are also various badminton, motorcycle, golf, racing, sailing, squash, and canoeing clubs.
  On a broader scale, the Cook Islands Sports & Olympic Association, Rarotonga Amateur Athletics Association, Tauvaine Sports & Cultural Association, and Tupapa-Maraerena Sports Association are notable associations. The Cook Islands Fisherman's Association, Cook Islands Game Fishing Club, and the Ngatangiia Fishermen's Club support fishing enthusiasts. The country hosted the 1986 Pacific Cup and the 1998 Polynesia Cup.
caption: Kenya playing the Cook Islands at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
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