What record Masters Games event was likely worth to Cairns
The likely value of the Great Barrier Reef Masters Games to the Cairns economy has been revealed as the push continues for more sports events for the city.
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MORE than $2.5m has been estimated to have poured into Cairns’ coffers on the back of a weekend of ferocious, but not necessarily top level, competition on local sports fields.
A record 2502 athletes took part in the third Great Barrier Reef Masters Games – a 20 per cent jump in participation than the previous 2019 event.
Among those showing off their sporting skills were Far North MPs Michael Healy and Curtis Pitt who teamed up on court at the Cairns International Tennis Centre.
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Mr Healy said the economic boost to the city had been invaluable and he had been able to show it off to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who attended the opening.
“We need events like this, they’re really, really important for the city,” he said.
“It brings a lot of people here and you don’t have to be experts – to prove it, I played.
“I wanted the Premier to be there to see it and I was in her ear telling her we need these events.”
Originally published as What record Masters Games event was likely worth to Cairns
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