Sport in Papua New Guinea

[3] In a nation where communities are far apart and many people live at a minimal subsistence level, rugby league has been described as a replacement for tribal warfare, as a way of explaining the local enthusiasm for the game (a matter of life and death).

[citation needed] Port Moresby Governor Powes Parkop has described the role rugby league plays in bonding the nation's 800 disparate tribes and reducing crime, citing its "ability to impact positively on all walks of life in PNG".

Many Papua New Guineans have become instant celebrities by representing their country or playing in an overseas professional league.

Rhyse Martin has had success in the English game, winning the 2020 Challenge Cup with Leeds Rhinos.

The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team, known as the Kumuls, are ranked sixth in the world as of September 2023.

Australian rules football has experienced considerable growth over the past decade, boasting the second highest number of players in the world (after Australia).

Australian rules football was introduced by Australian soldiers during World War II, but has gained popularity with the introduction of players at the top level into the AFL and AFL Women's, including Mal Michael, Hewago Oea, James Gwilt, Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Aiden Bonar, Zimmorlei Farquharson and Alicia Janz.

The Papua New Guinea national Australian rules football team (The Mosquitos) were crowned International champions in 2008, by defeating the previous title holders New Zealand.

In the 2013-14 World Twenty:20 Championship, the national team, known as the Papua New Guinea Barramundis, won the East Asia-Pacific qualifying zone competition in February 2013, beating Vanuatu in the final.

The principal national competitions for men are the T20 Hebou Shield contest, played in April and May, and the 50-overs Hebou Shield played in May and June, competed for by six teams: a Colts team, and five organised on an "area of origin" basis - Northern Diggers, Western Hammers, Central Hearts, Southern Jets, and Central Lagoon Marlins.

In 2013, Hebou Western Hammers won the 50-over competition, beating BSP Central Hearts in the final.

Formed in 2006, the PNG Telikom National Soccer League is the top division of Football in Papua New Guinea.

Hekari United from Port Moresby are the country's most successful club, having won the domestic league nine times (including each of the first eight seasons) and the 2009–10 OFC Champions League, which made Hekari United the first club from outside Australia and New Zealand to win the tournament.

Papua New Guinea hosted the inaugural 2017 FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup, where both the men's and the women's national teams won the titles.