The Rally (New Caledonia) The Rally (New Caledonia) The Rally (; until 2004 Rally for Caledonia in the Republic, ; from 2004 to 2014 Rally–UMP) is a conservative political party in New Caledonia, strongly supportive of the French status of the region; it is affiliated with the French party Les Republicains. In 1977, which saw the start of an outright nationalist movement on the left, anti-nationalist (loyalist) Caldoche leader Jacques Lafleur founded the Rally for Caledonia (RPC) which became the Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (RPCR) in 1978 following its affiliation with the Rally for the Republic (RPR) in France. The RPCR was
New Caledonia became an official member of the OFC with its FIFA membership. They have won the South Pacific Games five times, most recently in 2007, and have placed third on two occasions in the OFC Nations Cup. Christian Karembeu is a prominent New Caledonian former footballer. The under-17 team qualified for the FIFA under 17 World Cup in 2017. Horse racing is also very popular in New Caledonia, as are women's cricket matches. The rugby league team participated in the Pacific Cup in 2004. New Caledonia also has a national synchronised swimming team, which tours abroad. The "Tour Cycliste de Nouvelle-Calédonie"