Coast locked out from hosting life saving titles
- 7th October 2008
THE Sunshine Coast’s capacity to host the Australian Surf Life Saving championships will be tested when it hosts the state championships next year, despite the region being blocked from hosting the national titles until 2023.
The Gold Coast has stitched up a monopoly on the event in Queensland for the next 15 years after a deal was struck between the Gold Coast Regional council, the state government and Surf Life Saving Australia over the weekend.
However Tourism Sunshine Coast says the region will receive a boon after being selected to host the Queensland titles in February next year, and may prove a litmus test for its ability to host the Aussies in the future.
“The Sunshine Coast Regional Council is in the process of considering establishing a major event advisory board,” Tourism Sunshine Coast acting CEO Ren Van Tulder said. “And (the national titles) may well be something that that board might consider in the future.”
Mr Van Tulder said he wasn’t disappointed at the region being locked out from hosting the event until 2023, instead hoping the tourism influx as a result of the event – which attracts over 7000 competitors and tens of thousands of spectators – would rub off on the Sunshine Coast.
“It’s an opportunity for us to work with our tourism partners, to in fact benefit from the event,” he said. “And the way that that would work is, as a major national event on the Gold Coast, we would collaborate with the Gold Coast, and attract visitors to the Sunshine Coast both pre and post the event.”
The Gold Coast will host the event in 2010, 2011, 2012, then twice every four years for the following 10 years, with cities from states other than Queensland able to bid for the event in the other years.
Mooloolaba ironman Tim Peach said while as much as he would like a home ground advantage at the Australian titles, he didn’t think the Sunshine Coast currently had the capacity to host the event.
“I’m a massive fan of Kurrawa (where the titles will be hosted),” he said. “I think it’s just made for the Aussie titles there.
“I think it was massive mistake to take it over to Perth, and since they did that, the numbers have been dropping each year.
“I know it’s only been on there for two years, but people just can’t afford it.”
