The postponement of the Mount Isa Sign On Expo also meant the cancellation of the official launch of the 2019 Glencore Great Western Games but the Games themselves will go ahead as planned in June.
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North Queensland Sports Foundation organise the games and Townsville-based CEO Stephen Farrell was in town for the Sign On and they are calling for sports to get involved.
“Though it has been rained out we will endeavour to contact as many sports organisations as we can while we are here,” Mr Farrell said.
“At the moment we have 16 sports signed up which is pretty good, but what we would like to see is close to 25 sports participate between Charters Towers and Mount Isa along the Overlanders Way.”
Mr Farrell said the North Queensland Sports Foundation had funding from event sponsor and partner, Tourism and Events Queensland as well as naming rights sponsor Glencore to help the word out about the games.
“We can invest in a good promotional campaign so we do a lot with social media and our objective is to engage with as many as North Queensland’s athletes as we possibly can and get them to participate in those sports in the west,” he said.
“The idea is to increase the competition level in each of those sports by bringing athletes in from other areas into the region.”
Although the Mount Isa Sign On Expo has been rescheduled to this coming Saturday, February 9, Mr Farrell will not be able to attend.
“Unfortunately we are in Mackay for their Sports Expo, but we will do a lot by correspondence to get more sports involved,” he said.
Among the sports already signed up are lawn bowls, horse sports, athletics, pistol shooting, rugby sevens,m gymnastics, dragon boat racing and a duathlon.
The Games will be held over the last two weekends in June in Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Julia Creek, Richmond, Hughenden and Charters Towers.
There is a $10 cost for athletes to participate in each event and for that they get a competitor pack consisting of a drawstring bag, Glencore cap and a gym towel promoting the Overlanders Way.
There will also be gold, silver and bronze medals in each event.
The Games are held every two years and this will be the sixth Great Western Games.
To get involved, contact organisers via their Facebook page.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
