Tamworth, prepare to be invaded this weekend.
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More than 1600 youngsters from south-east Queensland through to Canberra and everywhere in between will converge on town for this year’s Macquarie Sports Foundation National Primary Games.
Now in its third year, the games, held annually, continue to grow in size and stature with students aged 9-12 strutting their stuff.
A total of 11 sports will be contested during the next three days, starting with gymnastics on Friday.
AFL, basketball, soccer, hockey, mountain biking, netball, rugby league, rugby union, tennis and water polo are the other sports being played.
Northern Inland Academy of Sport chief executive James Cooper, whose organisation runs the popular event, said the Games provided a great boost to the Tamworth region.
“We’ve got kids coming from the southern parts of Queensland through to Canberra and that arc west to Dubbo through to the Eastern seaboard,” Cooper said.
“This event has grown from 1100 kids in year one to 1500 and now close to 1700 for this year. “We’ve added the under-10 component this year which is fantastic.
“The great thing is Tamworth has the capacity of sporting fields and facilities to host an event of this magnitude, with a big thanks to the Council for their support.”
The National Primary Games has the support of the Australian Olympic Committee, with Cooper revealing the four Olympians heading to Tamworth for the event.
“We’re looking forward to having Alyce Burnett, Stephanie Magiros, Belinda Hocking and Jarrod Hughes here,” Cooper said.
“This event is full endorsed by the AOC.
“Sportsmanship and friendship are a focus of the weekend, which culminates in the Spirit of the Games award presented to a team who represents this attitude within each of the sports.”
- GAMES VENUES
- AFL: Plain St; Basketball: Tamworth Sports Dome; Soccer: Riverside Sports Complex; Gymnastics: McGinnity Gymnastics; Hockey: Tamworth Hockey Fields; Mountain Bikes: Tamworth Mountain Bike Track; Netball: Tamworth Sports Dome; Rugby League: Plain St; Rugby Union: Plain St; Tennis: Treloar Park; Water Polo: Scully Park pool.