AIMS Games tournament director Vicki Semple. Photo / George Novak
AIMS Games tournament director Vicki Semple. Photo / George Novak
September will bring thousands of young athletes from around the country to the Bay of Plenty, giving it a "much-needed boost" as the annual Anchor AIMS Games returns.
This time last year, the "heartbreaking" decision was made to cancel the intermediate-aged sports tournament, held in Tauranga, due to Covid-19 andthe need to make national safety a priority.
Registrations for 2021 were "looking really good", tournament director Vicki Semple said, and were on par with the 2019 games which hosted more than 11,000 athletes — 2.3 per cent more athletes than were in the Rio Olympic Games.
Semple has been part of the games since its inception in 2004 when there were just 17 schools and 700 athletes.
So far, 101 schools from around the country have registered, although Semple said many schools signed up last minute.
"The 2021 Anchor AIMS Games is full steam ahead, and we're really excited."
Semple said they have had inquiries from Australia and the Cook Islands with New Zealand recently opening up quarantine-free travel with the areas, but the organisers were still working out whether they would accept international registrations.
She said it was important to deliver the event as safely as possible, based on guidance from the Ministry of Health.
AIMS Games tournament director Vicki Semple. Photo / George Novak
This included pre-event education, good hygiene at the event, mandatory use of the Covid tracer app, and strong communication to get alerts out quickly and efficiently.
"If any region is placed into alert level 2 or above, it may have significant impacts on the AIMS Games depending on the timeframe.
"The health and safety of all our event participants, spectators, event staff, contractors, volunteers, the Tauranga community, and the country as a whole is of paramount importance to us."
This time last year, the team behind the games were going through every possible scenario, agonising over what a decision would mean for so many if they didn't run the event.
They pulled the plug on what would have been the 17th year of the annual event. "It was absolutely heartbreaking," Semple said.
Once the decision was made, there were logistics to be worked through with venues and contractors, which Semple said was "challenging".
Rotorua Intermediate School principal Garry de Thierry. Photo / File
Then it was straight to planning for the 2021 games with a big focus on the health and safety plan.
She said the games were lucky to have the support of the Tauranga City Council and TECT.
"It would have been hard to get this year's event up and running without their support."
Rotorua Intermediate School principal Garry De Thierry said the school would "definitely" be entering students into the "prestigious" competition.
"It's a really big aspect of intermediate schools."
He said students were already excited and while they were still finalising the teams and individuals to attend, they were planning to send 98 students in seven teams.
Students trained intensely and learnt about nutrition, and parents and teachers devoted countless hours to getting the athletes to their best performance levels, he said.
But it wasn't just about the sport — friends for life were made.
"It makes them aware of that work ethic that you need in life if you're wanting to achieve something," he said.
Hospitality NZ Bay of Plenty branch president and Hennessy's bar owner Reg Hennessy said he hoped students and families would make the short drive from Tauranga.
Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty regional manager Alan Sciascia. Photo / File
"Covid has created a lot of problems for businesses reliant on domestic and international tourism, and the loss of the games last year compounded the problem."
