In October 2001 Newcastle will become the first city outside a capital city to host the Australian Masters Games. This will be the eighth time this popular biennial event has been staged.
Council’s General Manager Janet Dore said winning the bid for the games is yet another example of the high level of cooperation characteristic of this region. With a range of high quality facilities, including cricket, football, and hockey stadiums and several Olympic sized swimming pools, Newcastle and the Hunter is well positioned to stage this event.
The Masters Games will require more venues than the Olympics. It will attract more competitors, and offers over 50 different sports as against 30 in the Olympics.
Executive Officer Dr Adrian Hurley said the Games will bring unique benefits to the Hunter region. “The showcasing of the Hunter region, and the enormous changes taking place in and around Newcastle, will result in a significant boost to self esteem,” he said.
“Many competitors and their partners will return home and talk about their experience encouraging others to make the trip here, boosting tourism,” he said. With the Games increasing by 15 percent each time it is staged, an expected 20,000 people will provide a huge economic boost to the area.
Dr Hurley said such an event will also bring unique challenges to the area. “Competitors stay an average of nine days even though they may only compete on one or two days,” he said “The City will need to accommodate, feed and entertain up to 20,000 extra people for that length of time.”
Many of the events will be staged outside the immediate Newcastle area, with surrounding Councils providing additional venues and infrastructure support.
Funding has also come from the State Government, while the community is helping with in kind support in the form of administrative support, cost waiving and other facilities.
For further information contact Dr Adrian Hurley, telephone (02) 4974 8777
