Napier set to bid for world children's games

Council chief executive Wayne Jack

Napier City Council is working on plans to host the International Children's Games - the world's largest multi-sport youth games.

The event could bring 1500 young overseas competitors, their families and supporters, to Hawke's Bay.

The council's community development committee voted yesterday to approve sending a delegation of athletes, coaches and city representatives to this year's games, being held in the Netherlands in June.

The council is not funding the estimated $70,000-$80,000 cost of the 18-member delegation's trip, which will need to be bankrolled through fundraising, but may look to "underwrite the shortfall" after fundraising efforts.

Council staff say attending this year's games will put Napier in a strong position to bid to host the event, possibly in 2018.

"An International Children's Games event would give Napier valuable international visibility and showcase Napier and New Zealand to the rest of the world," council staff said in a report considered at yesterday's committee meeting. "We have the necessary sports facilities and Kennedy Park could potentially become the 'Olympic Village' and accommodate the athletes."

Council chief executive Wayne Jack told the meeting that, with most athletes coming from the Northern Hemisphere, hosting the games could provide a tourist boost to Hawke's Bay because those who travelled here - along with families, coaches and supporters - would be likely to extend their stay after the event.

Last year, Napier became the first New Zealand city to send a delegation to the games when they were held in Lake Macquarie, Australia.

The games were first held in 1968 in Slovenia, as a way to encourage peace and goodwill among children of different cultural backgrounds. Since 1991, they have been an International Olympic Committee sanctioned event.

Mr Jack said the ICG committee was "very keen" for Napier to put in a bid to host the games. Last year's Australian event was the only time they had been held in the Southern Hemisphere.

"We've already started having discussions with relevant stakeholders in the region - because it does require a lot of support - and they're committed to getting behind it," he told the committee.

"We are pretty confident that we will be successful in a bid."