Sport in Tasmania  Sport in Tasmania is participation in and attendance at organised sports events in the state of Tasmania in Australia. Sport is an important part of Tasmanian culture; though, while spectator sports have grown in recent decades, overall participation in sports has declined and is currently lower than the national average. The most popular spectator sports are Cricket (summer) and Australian rules football (winter). Both sports have very long histories in the state and important roles in the culture and are widely covered by the media. In participation Tasmania's most popular sport for men is Association football (known locally as "soccer") and for women is swimming. The fastest growing sport in terms of participation in the state is junior and women's soccer. There are significant regional differences and regional rivalries, particularly between the north and south of the state which have an effect on the sport participation and attendances. Hobart is home to the annual Briggs Track Classic at the Domain Athletic Centre as part of the national Australian Athletics Tour. Other areas also hold annual events called 'Gifts' such as the Burnie Gift. The North-West town Penguin also held the National Running Championships in 2015. Tasmania has previously hosted teams in the highest tiers of Basketball in Australia, however currently has no teams participating in the highest leagues. The Hobart Devils existed in the National Basketball League from 1983 to 1996. Launceston also had a team in the NBL from 1980 - 1982 called Launceston City Casino. In the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), the Hobart Islanders won the national competition in 1991. The team was led by home-grown and three-time WNBL Most Valuable Player, Kathy Foster. The Islanders withdrew from the competition in the mid-1990s. Netball is popular in Tasmania, although Tasmania does not have a team in the ANZ Championship. Cricket is the most popular game in Tasmania. Cricket Tasmania administers the Tasmanian Grade Cricket competitions of cricket in Tasmania, and selects the players for the Tasmanian Tigers, who are the state's first class cricket team for men. They are also responsible for the selection of players for Tasmanian Roar, the state's women's representative side. The Tasmanian Tigers are based at Bellerive Oval and represent the state in domestic competitions such as the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup, the Sheffield Shield, and formerly in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. As of 2016 the Hobart Hurricanes represent Tasmania in the KFC Big Bash League. At present the Tasmanian Roar only compete in the Women's National Cricket League Twenty20 competition.