Category Archives: Oceania

Oceania Cruises has announced a series of 14 Alaska cruise departures setting sail from San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver between May and September 2017.

Here are some highlights:

In Astoria, the Ale Trail will delight beer lovers as they discover a variety of local, hand-crafted brews. Not only will there be opportunities for tastings, travelers will gain personal insights into the brewing process with personalized tours of local breweries and interactions with the owners and brew masters.

In Ketchikan, guests can join the Captain and crew for a trip on the Aleutian Ballad, the crab boat from Discovery Networks Deadliest Catch. Or, guests can partake in a personalized fishing expedition where their catch is prepared by a personal chef as the main course of a gourmet lunch, served around a crackling campfire amidst the centuries-old Alaskan rainforest.

In Victoria, a food and cultural walking tour will guide guests to such establishments as Sticky Wicket, Hankss BBQ, 10 Acres bistro and Bon Macaron Patisserie.

In Juneau, thrill-seekers can go dog-sledding, glacier-trekking on Mendenhall Glacier, or even sea-kayaking through the coastal waterways traveled for centuries by the Aleut Indians. Foodies can enjoy the Flavors of Juneau with a visit to the Alaskan Brewing Company and Chez Alaska Cooking School.

Travelers can search for bears, deer, and bald eagles in their natural habitat in the remote Spasski River Valley outside of Hoonah, get immersed in Tlingit culture, song, and storytelling at the Heritage Center or embark on a ZipRider experience on the worlds largest zip-line.

In Sitka, guests can go deep-sea sport fishing for salmon, visit the Alaska Raptor Center, one of the largest rehabilitation centers for injured eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls, and spot sea otters, whales, sea lions, porpoises and brown bears on a Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest.

Sailing Alaska between May and September is Oceania Cruises Regatta, the flagship of the fleet.

The Great Northwest 11 days from San Francisco to Vancouver visiting Astoria, Ketchikan, Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Straight Point, Sitka, and Prince Rupert. Departs May 10th.

Pristine Passages seven days from Vancouver to Seattle visiting Wrangell, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Departs May 24th.

Peaks, Parks & Preserves 10 days roundtrip from Vancouver visiting Ketchikan, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Skagway, Juneau, Wrangell, and Victoria. Departs May 31st and August 31st.

Glistening Glaciers 10 days from Vancouver to Seattle visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Sitka, and Victoria Departs June 10th.

Awe of Alaska seven days roundtrip from Seattle visiting Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Sawyer Glacier, Sitka, and Prince Rupert. Departs June 30th, July 7th and 14th, August 7th and 14th.

Alaska Charms seven days roundtrip from Seattle visiting Wrangell, Tracy Arm Fjord, Sawyer Glacier, Sitka, and Prince Rupert. Departs July 21st.

Glacial Adventures 10 days roundtrip from Seattle visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Sitka, and Victoria. Departs July 28th.

Glaciers & Gardens 10 days Seattle to Vancouver visiting Ketchikan, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Wrangell, and Victoria. Departs August 21st.

Alaskan Grandeur 10 days Vancouver to San Francisco visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Victoria, and Astoria. Departs September 10th.

Visit http://www.oceaniacruises.com

Excerpt from:

Oceania to Offer 14 Alaska Cruise Departures in 2017 - Travel Agent

Dr. Gary Zank is the sixth honorary member selected by the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS).

Michael Mercier | UAH

Dr. Gary Zank, chair of the Department of Space Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and director of its Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, has been named as the sixth-ever honorary member of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS).

Honorary members are referred to in the AOGS constitution as "persons whose international standing in geosciences or whose services to the Society are recognized by the Society and elected by the General Meeting."

Dr. Zank is the holder of an AOGS Axford Medal, the highest honor given by the society, an organization equivalent to the American Geophysical Union (AGU). That medal acknowledged his outstanding achievements in geosciences, including planetary and solar system science, as well as unselfish cooperation and leadership in Asia and Oceania. Oceania refers to the broader Pacific Ocean region excluding the Asian region. His receipt of the Axford Medal made him eligible for the honorary membership, which was unopposed.

His Honorary Member Certificate will be presented during the General Assembly at AOGS2017, taking place Aug. 6-11in Singapore.

"I had not been expecting this," Dr. Zank says. "It is quite an honor to be recognized like this, as one of just six honorary members of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society. I think it is a reflection of my being fortunate to have collaborated with a great many gifted scientists, young and old, from Asia China, India, Taiwan and Japan especially and Australia. In this I have been very lucky, and so the elevation to an honorary member is a reflection of all of my wonderful colleagues."

A driving force behind the creation of the universitys Department of Space Science, the South Africa-born Dr. Zanks research at UAH has included study of the heliosphere, the area of space influenced by the solar wind, and solar weather and plasmas. He has also applied his computational modeling expertise to biologically invasive species and homeland security inquiries.

His scientific and computational interests have encompassed design of space architectures and the missions needed to provide the raw data for such research, as well, including UAHs role in NASAs Solar Probe Plus mission, slated for launch in 2018.

"The recognition that Dr. Zank has received in becoming the sixth honorary member of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society is well-deserved," says Dr. Christine Curtis, UAH provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "Dr. Zank is a highly accomplished researcher, an exceptional research leader in the field of space science and an outstanding educator who is leading the UAH Space Science Department and highly competitive masters and Ph.D. programs in Space Science.His work in space science provides tremendous opportunity for current and future students at UAH to work with a leading scientist and be at the forefront of scientific discoveries in space science. We at UAH are very proud to have Dr. Gary Zank as a member of our faculty."

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Asia Oceania Geosciences Society names Zank its sixth honorary member - UAH News (press release)

Tuesday 31 January 2017 12:36 PM

Oceania Natural third-quarter sales growth stalls on unstable grey market

By Paul McBeth

Jan. 31 (BusinessDesk) - Oceania Natural's third-quarter revenue stalled earlier growth as an unstable grey market in China prompted the honey and noni juice products maker to rethink its distribution into the world's most populous nation.

Total revenue was $327,000 in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared to $1 million in the second quarter, the Auckland-based company said in its key operating metrics. The NXT-listed company last week scaled back its 2017 forecast as discounted rival honey products undermined its sales into China through grey markets, and forced it to focus on direct distribution channels.

Oceania Natural said sales were weighed on by the uncertainty over the definition of genuine manuka honey and an upcoming science report will be watched by the industry and consumers alike, while changing Chinese regulations and the rise of counterfeit manuka online meant it had to rely on slower distribution through direct channels.

Last week the company lowered its revenue target to $2.2 million for the year ending March 31 from $5.4 million. Sales into China via distributors are expected to be $605,000, down from a previous forecast of $4 million, while Oceania's direct sales are projected to be $1.6 million, up from $1.4 million. The forecasts make up Oceania's key operating milestones (KOM) used on the NXT market instead of continuous disclosure requirements.

Today's third-quarter metrics show direct sales accounted for $138,000 of revenue in the period, while distributor sales totalled $189,000. Gross margin was 38 percent in the period.

Oceania last traded at $1.94, down from $2.16 when it lowered its forecasts last week.

(BusinessDesk)

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Oceania Natural third-quarter sales growth stalls - Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Harry Sommer, evp international business development, was on board Seven Seas Voyager at a media luncheon in Sydney February 4 when Steve McLaughlin was named vp sales Australasia for Oceania Cruises.

Sommer, who arrived in Sydney two days earlier, was to have hosted media on board Norwegian Star February 6 to mark the companys return to Australia after a hiatus of 15 years.

However, following the technical problems Norwegian Star has experienced during her voyage to Sydney from Hong Kong, the function was merged with the February 4 event on Seven Seas Voyager.

Norwegian Cruise Lines Steve Odell, vp and md Asia Pacific, told guests dining in the ships new French bistro, Chartreuse, that McLaughlin will take up his new position on March 13.

As reported here, McLaughlin had been Ponants director of sales Australia since January 2014.

Were thrilled to welcome Steve on board at such a crucial time for Oceania Cruises in Australasia, Odell said. Our local Australia office has had an incredibly successful first year and NCLH is firmly committed to further expansion in the three distinct market segments represented by our brands.

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Harry Sommer in Sydney for Oceania Australasia appointment - Seatrade Cruise News

India defeated New Zealand 4-1 in Asian Oceania Group 1 Davis Cup tie here on Sunday.

Tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan defeated Finn Tearney of New Zealand in the first match of the reverse singles to hand India a comfortable 4-1 victory in Asian Oceania Group 1 Davis Cup tie here on Sunday.

Following the win, India will now take on Uzbekistan in the second round of the Asia-Oceania Group I in April.

Ramanathan outplayed Tearney in straight sets 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 to seal the match for the hosts at the Balewadi Sports Complex here.

The first set was evenly contested but it was the Indian player who proved superior and defeated the Kiwi 7-5.

The second and third games witnessed Ramanathan at his best. He outclassed his opponent in every department of the game.

Later in the day, Yuki Bhambri plays the second reverse singles match of the dead rubber with Jose Statham.

Earlier, Bhambri and Ramanathan both won their mens singles matches to give India a crucial 2-0 lead against the visitors before Leander Paes and Vishnu Vardhan went down in the third rubber to Artem Sitak and Michael Venus.

Excerpt from:

Davis Cup 2017: India beat New Zealand 4-1 in Asian Oceania Group - NewsX

By Kristina Eddy

The Oceania Road Cycling Championships in Canberra in March are next on the cards for Olympic rowing star turned cycling enthusiast Hamish Bond.

The two-time Olympic rowing gold medallist will line up alongside some other strong Kiwi talent, including fellow road converts Sam Webster, Dylan Kennett and Eddie Dawkins.

"I hope I go well. The result is important but its the performance and what I can put out that is more important to me," said the 30-year-old.

Bond kicked off his cycling campaign following the Rio Olympics, with a convincing win at the Abel Tasman Cycle Challenge over Tour De France professional George Bennett back in December.

A month later he found the podium again - placing third at the Napier National Road Championships 40km time-trial and 14th in the 169km road race two days later.

I wouldnt say Ive smashed it out of the park but its a good start."

Getting off the water and onto the bike has been a smooth transition for Bond, despite fracturing his wrist and rib in a crash earlier this year.

"You row with your legs and you cycle with your legs so I was conditioned for it.

"The rest of it is just training hard and pushing hard and just being prepared to work and to suffer."

The Kiwi rowing hero hasnt kept his eye off of his old code, and noted hes still heavily invested in the scene.

"Its always a challenge post-Olympic year and theres always a little bit of a shakedown, with new faces, new crews and new line-ups so hopefully it all goes well. Theyve got my full support for sure."

However, if all goes well on the bike, it may be some time before we see the Olympic champion back on the water.

"I had a fairly good handle on what the limit of my potential was in rowing and this is just about discovering what the limit is in cycling. I still have no idea but Im keen to try and find out."

Newshub.

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Hamish Bond eyes Oceania Road Cycling Championships - Newshub

"Oceania" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer Bjrk for her sixth studio album Medlla. It was written and produced by Bjrk, with additional writing by Sjn and production by Mark Bell. The song was written by the singer specially for the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, after a request by the International Olympic Committee. "Oceania" was released as a promotional single on 13 August 2004, by One Little Indian Records. The song was written at the ocean's point of view, from which the singer believes all life emerged, and details the human's evolution, whilst accompanied by a choir. "Oceania" was generally well received by music critics, who believed it was the best track from Medlla, although some thought it was not the best choice for a promotional release.

The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Lynn Fox, features Bjrk as "Mother Oceania", whilst being jewel-encrusted in dark watery depths, with a colourful sunset and swirling floral creatures above her. A remix of the song, featuring additional lyrics and vocals by Kelis on her point of view of the continents, was featured as a B-side to the "Who Is It" single. A piano version also appeared on the DVD single, and was assisted in its creation by Nico Muhly. The song was premiered during Bjrk's performance on the Summer Olympics ceremony, and was later included on the setlist of the Volta Tour (200708). At the 47th Grammy Awards in 2005, it was nominated in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Cover versions of "Oceania" were done six times, while it was sampled once.

The International Olympic Committee commissioned a song by Bjrk specially for the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The singer revealed that the committee asked her to do a kind of "Ebony and Ivory" or "We Are the World" type of song, which are "smashing tunes" according to her, but she thought, "'Maybe there's another angle to this'. When I tried to write an Olympic lyric, though, it was full of sports socks and ribbons. I ended up pissing myself laughing". Then, she called Sjn, an Icelandic poet who had previously collaborated with her on songs such as "Bachelorette" from her fourth studio album Homogenic (1997). When she said to him that they would need something "suitably epic" for the Olympics, the poet even took a short course about Greek mythology at Reykjavk University. "Oceania" was the last song recorded for Medlla.[1] Bjrk said about the song: "I am incredibly honoured to have been asked to write a song and sing it at the Olympics. The song is written from the point of view of the ocean that surrounds all the land and watches over the humans to see how they are doing after millions of years of evolution. It sees no borders, different races or religion which has always been at the core of these [games]".[2]

During an interview with British radio station XFM, Bjrk explained its recording process, saying work on "Oceania" was kept being delayed because she wanted to do it especially for the Olympics. During the last day of mixing, she thought she needed "sirenes", like in Greek mythology. She called up an English choir to record these sounds. The singer had done an arrangement for piano on the computer that was impossible for a piano to play, and she got them to sing it. Then, she also called up beatboxer Shlomo, who was recommended to her as "the new bright hope of the hip hop scene". He went to record the next day and Bjrk asked him to do a techno tango beat, which he did. Recalling her work on the song until her last day of mixing, she commented, "That was the most fun part, in the end. Sometimes it's good for you to work with a gun against your head and just go for it, because you can sometimes sit too long with ideas. Sometimes adrenaline is a good thing."[3]

The song was written at the ocean's point of view, detailing the human's evolution.[4] According to Jason Killingsworth from Paste magazine, it calls listeners' attention to "Mother Oceania" from which the singer believes all life emerged, whilst she sings: "You have done well for yourselves / Since you left my wet embrace / And crawled ashore []". The song anchors the midsection of Medlla, "jubilantly punctuated with bubbling synth and propelled by the rolling, spitfire cadence of Rahzel's beatbox", according to the reviewer.[5] The last line from the song, "Your sweat is salty/ And I am why/ Your sweat is salty/ And I am why", is about how "we were all little jellyfish or whatever before we made it on to land", according to the singer.[1] Elthan Brown from New York magazine considered these lyrics as "frank sensuality".[6] "Oceania" also features The London Choir.[7]Entertainment Weekly's writer Chris Willman commented that "the computer-enhanced choir behind Bjrk [suggests] a cosmic harem of pleased dolphins. Here she imagines herself as the sea itself, proud of all the belegged creatures she's spit out onto land over the last hundred million years. It's the nearest evolutionists have come to having their own gospel tune".[8]

A remix version of "Oceania" featuring additional lyrics and vocals by American singer Kelis was recorded. She explained they were set to perform on Fashion Rocks concert in London the previous year, and their dressing rooms were right next to each other. Bjrk had an album by Canadian singer Peaches that was skipping, then Kelis gave her the copy of the album she had. They started talking and eventually hung out and exchanged numbers after the show, and later Bjrk contacted Kelis to work together, which she agreed. Then, Kelis recorded her vocals at Electric Lady Studios in New York City,[9] and wrote her own words in the song, from the point of view of the continents.[10] Originally not intended to be commercially released, the remix leaked after being played on BBC Radio 1's The Breezeblock, but was then included on the "Who Is It" single as a B-side. According to The Guardian, "it's a brilliant fusing together of two distinct voices, Kelis handling the breathy first verse, as layers of her chopped-up vocals form the rhythm track, while Bjrk at first comes across as restrained, allowing Kelis' ad-libs to soar before unleashing a song-stopping, wordless roar that heralds the song's dramatic final coda".[11]

A piano version also appeared on the DVD single, which was assisted in its creation by Nico Muhly. During an interview he stated, "When Bjrk asked me to play piano on Oceania, she sent me the music, and it was as complicated and layered as any piece of classical music I've played. I spent a few days figuring out how to make her vision of 'dueling lounge-lizard pianists' physically possible, and in the session, we ran through those quickly. Then, she experimented with different ways to space the progression of chords that runs through the piece - I suggested big, Brahmsy blocks - as well as the ending, for which we tried diaphanous, Debussy-like arpeggios".[12] Bjrk decided to stick with the album's vocal concept and use electronically tweaked choral voices. Before some last-minute polishing by Mark Bell, this version of "Oceania" was the last track to be worked for Medlla.[13]

"Oceania" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Jennifer Vineyard from MTV News called the song "one of those polarizing songs, with its Ethel Merman-like synchronized vocal sweeps that do suggest the aquatic, in a 1950s sort of way".[14]Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman labeled the track as a "strikingly beautiful" song.[8] Alex Ross, reporter writing for The New Yorker stated that with "Oceania", Bjrk "confirmed her status as the ultimate musical cosmopolitan", acquainted with Karlheinz Stockhausen and the Wu-Tang Clan.[13] Matthew Gasteier from Prefix magazine called the track "the best song on the album", whilst complimenting "its swooping chorus [which] recalls the migration of birds or the time-elapsed drifting of icebergs, a swirl of beauty and power crashing down onto and then rising above the mix. It culminates in the near screech that leads into the sexy-spooky coda".[15] According to Andy Battaglia from The A.V. Club, in a positive review, "the electronic flourish strays from her organic vocal focus, but Bjrk summons the same kind of tingle with choral language" in the song, "which finds The London Choir reacting to what sounds like a thrilling slow-motion circus act".[7]

"Oceania" was "spoilt by some overenthusiastic vocal whoopings", according to David Hooper from BBC Music.[16]The Guardian's writer David Peschek said that when the singer sings in the song, "choral swoops [explodes] like fireworks behind her".[17]AllMusic's Heather Phares noted that the song, along with Medlla's lead single "Who Is It", "have an alien quality that is all the stranger considering that nearly all of their source material is human (except for the odd keyboard or two)".[18] Dominique Leone of Pitchfork thought "Oceania" was hardly the most obvious choice for a promotional single release, despite its "bizarre, swooping soprano lines and cyclical chord progression outlined by a chorus of Wyatt vocal samples".[19] Jeremy D. Larson from Time magazine provided a mixed review to the song, stating that it was the best Olympic theme song, but during the Olympics performance, "when she sang 'Every pearl is a lynx is a girl' we think you could hear the world collectively sigh, 'Where's Celine Dion?'".[4] In 2005, the song was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 47th Grammy Awards but lost out to Norah Jones' "Sunrise".[20]

The accompanying music video for "Oceania" was directed by Lynn Fox, and was premiered on August 13, 2004 through Bjrk's official site.[21] According to Lynn Fox, Bjrk gave the team the initial sketch of the track in January 2004. Whilst they were doing scribbles for it, they had several phone conversations with the singer and emailed her images to keep her up to date with the progress of the work. For "Oceania", initial animations took six weeks, then had couple of days preparing for the shoot in Iceland and a few more days after to put all the shots together.[22] Bjrk's make-up took eight hours to be done and included a hand-collage of tiny crystal gems on her face. Post-production team The Mill was then hired to emphasise the glints that beam from them. Initially, a Flame spark was used to select and highlight glints automatically but the results proved "too random". For a more "organic" look, The Mill's Paul Marangos spent two days in Flame inputting glints by hand, using live action glints as reference. The Mill's Adam Scott further enhanced the video with an initial live action grade and final DCP. The video was finished just a day before the opening ceremony, leaving a small amount to get the video distributed to TV stations. BEAM.TV distributed the video instantly via its network of international post-production partners.[23]

Like in the song, in the music video Bjrk is depicted as "Mother Oceania". The video opens with the surface of a body of water appearing yellowish and bright. Camera pans down to darker, deeper waters. Bjrk appears out of the dark background, singing and covered with sparkling jewels. As the second verse begins, images of sea anemones, representing the continents (her children) are thrown from Bjrk's hands.[24] During the third verse they swim around and away from their mother, carried by the currents, which move in time with the song. In the bridge section, new sea flowers, with brilliant colors, emerge from the background, in contrast to the muted and darker colors of previous scenes. As the fifth verse continues, the camera pans back up to the much lighter surface, not seen since the beginning of the video. All sorts of marine life are swimming about the surface. Shortly after the sixth verse begins, Bjork is shown in deep, dark water. Several seconds later, the lighter surface of the water is shown without her. When she begins to sing "Your sweat is salty", a somewhat rapid alternation of images ensues: the light surface is shown for one second, followed by Bjrk singing in the deep water; these scenes alternate until she stops singing during the coda. Bjrk's vocal repetition ceases at the same time the visual alternation stops. The surface scene recedes, and Bjrk in the deep water comes to the fore, slowing. At the end of the video, she stands and smiles.[24]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, where Bjrk premiered the song, she wore a very large dress which unfolded during her performance of "Oceania" to eventually occupy the entire stadium, and showed a map of the world in sign of union.[4] Additionally, Bjrk wore "bluish-purple glittery eye shadow across her lids. Her dark hair dangled in tiny twists that framed her pixieish, freckled face".[25] Immediately after the performance at the Olympics opening ceremony, the song was downloaded more than 11,000 times on the iTunes Store.[26] Jake Coyle from Today commented that her dress was "reminiscent in its uniqueness to the infamous swan dress she wore to the Oscars in 2001".[27] According to Jeremy D. Larson from Time, if it weren't for the fireworks at the end of the song, he was legitimately unsure if people in the audience would have cheered.[4] Dominique Leone of Pitchfork was surprised by the committee's choice of bringing Bjrk to perform at the ceremony, and stated: "They could have had anyone-- say, a reassuring Celine Dion or a physically ideal Beyonc-- but they chose a prickly, decidedly uncomfortable Icelandic woman. On aesthetic grounds, I can't argue with their choice, but I continue to wonder about Bjrk's significance".[19] "Oceania" was also performed during the Volta Tour (200708).[28]

Credits adapted from Medlla liner notes.[34]

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Oceania (song) - Wikipedia

Leagues and results

Find a league Argentina: Liga A Brazil: D2 Brazil: NBB DIRECTV Liga de las Americas DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana Mexico Uruguay: LUB USA: NBA USA: NBDL USA: WNBA China: CBA FIBA Asia Champions Cup Iran: Superleague Japan Kazakhstan: Division I Korea Philippines: PBA Adriatic League Austria: BBL Balkan Eurohold League Baltic Basketball League Basketball Champions League Belarus Belgium: D1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria: NBL Croatia: A1 Czech Republic Denmark EuroCup EuroCup Women EuroLeague EuroLeague Women FIBA Europe Cup Finland: Korisliiga France: LFB (women) France: Pro A France: Pro B Georgia Germany: BEKO Bundesliga Germany: Pro A Great Britain: BBL Greece: HEBA A1 Greece: HEBA A2 Hungary: A Division Hungary: A Division (women) Iceland Israel: Winner League Italy: Lega A Italy: Lega B Latvia: LBL 1 Lithuania: LKL MKD Montenegro Netherlands Poland: PLK Portugal: LPB Romania: D1 Russia: Superliga Serbia: Prva Liga Slovakia Slovenia: Liga UPC Telemach Spain (women) Spain: ACB Spain: LEB Sweden: BasketLigan Turkey: D 2 Turkey: TBL Turkey: TKBL (women) VTB United League Australia: 2nd Div Australia: NBL

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FIBA Oceania - FIBA.com

FIBA Oceania Championship is the name commonly used to refer to the Oceania basketball championships that take every two years between national teams of the continent. Through the 2015 edition, the Oceania Championships are also a qualifying tournament for the Basketball World Cups and Olympic Games. Beginning in 2017, all FIBA continental championships for men will be held on a four-year cycle, and the continental championships will no longer be part of the qualifying process for either the World Cup or Olympics. The 2017 Oceanian Championships will also be the last Oceanian Championships to ever be held as starting 2021, the tournament will merge with the FIBA Asia Championship to give way for the FIBA Asia-Pacific Championship[1]

When only Australia and New Zealand compete, the tournament is usually a best-of-three playoff; if other teams compete, a round-robin and a knockout stage is employed. In 2009, the Oceania Basketball Federation changed this format to a two-game, home-and-away playoff between the two countries, with aggregate score as the tiebreaker should the teams split the series.

Results highlighted in blue are Olympic qualifiers, those which aren't are World Championship qualifiers.

In 1997 basketball was included in the Pacific Mini Games, so therefore the Oceania Tournament was not played. The South Pacific Mini Games are held every four years for island teams in the two years between the main Pacific Games. These Games are held in countries with limited facilities and because of the large number of basketball entries this sport has not been included in previous Mini Games. Normally the Oceania Basketball Confederation conducts the Oceania Tournament at a similar time so as to provide competition for all countries. As a result, no Australian or New Zealand teams participated in 1997.

There was no Oceania Basketball Tournament in 2005 because the Mini Games included basketball that year in Palau.

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FIBA Oceania Championship - Wikipedia

Australia is the largest country in the region of Oceania. Source: CIA World Factbook, 2007

By Amanda Briney

Oceania is a region of the South Pacific Ocean that consists of many different island groups. It covers an area of over 3.3 million square miles (8.5 million sq km). The island groups within Oceania are both countries and dependencies or territories of other foreign nations. There are 14 countries within Oceania and they range in size from the very large such as Australia (which is a both a continent and a country) to the very small like Nauru.

The following is a list of Oceania's 14 different countries arranged by land area from the largest to the smallest. For reference, the capital city and 2011 estimated population has been included for each. All information in the list was obtained from the CIA World Factbook.

1) Australia Area: 2,988,901 square miles (7,741,220 sq km) Population: 21,766,711 Capital: Canberra

2) Papua New Guinea Area: 178,703 square miles (462,840 sq km) Population: 6,187,591 Capital: Port Moresby

3) New Zealand Area: 103,363 square miles (267,710 sq km) Population: 4,290,347 Capital: Wellington

4) Solomon Islands Area: 11,157 square miles (28,896 sq km) Population: 571,890 Capital: Honiara

5) Fiji Area: 7,055 square miles (18,274 sq km) Population: 883,125 Capital: Suva

6) Vanuatu Area: 4,706 square miles (12,189 sq km) Population: 224,564 Capital: Port-Villa

7) Samoa Area: 1,093 square miles (2,831 sq km) Population: 193,161 Capital: Apia

8) Kiribati Area: 313 square miles (811 sq km) Population: 100,743 Capital: Tarawa

9) Tonga Area: 288 square miles (747 sq km) Population: 105,916 Capital: Nuku'alofa

10) Federated States of Micronesia Area: 271 square miles (702 sq km) Population: 106,836 Capital: Palikir

11) Palau Area: 177 square miles (459 sq km) Population: 20,956 Capital: Melekeok

12) Marshall Islands Area: 70 square miles (181 sq km) Population: 67,182 Capital: Majuro

13) Tuvalu Area: 10 square miles (26 sq km) Population: 10,544 Capital: Funafuti

14) Nauru Area: 8.1 square miles (21 sq km) Population: 9,322 Capital: No Capital

References

Briney, Amanda.

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What are the Seven Wonders of the World

(28 December 2009). "Geographic Profile of Oceania - Learn Important Facts about the World's Oceania Region." Geography at About.com. Retrieved from: http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/oceania.htm

Rosenberg, Matt. (n.d.). "Countries of Oceania." Geography at About.com. Retrieved from: http://geography.about.com/library/maps/blrocean.htm

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List of the 14 Countries of Oceania by Area