Arafura Games, Masters Games scrapped due to COVID-19 restrictions

THE Arafura Games and Alice Springs Masters Games have been scrapped until 2022 and 2023.

The 2021 Arafura Games has been postponed fue to COVID-19 restrictions. Picture: Justin Sanson

THE Arafura Games will not go ahead as planned next year because of COVID-19.

The NT Government released a statement today announcing both the Alice Springs Masters Games and Arafura Games have been scrapped until 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The Masters Games were scheduled for October this year and the Arafura Games were scheduled for May 2021.

The 2021 Arafura Games and Alice Springs Masters are OFF and the NT is understood to have notched its highest rate of...

Posted by The NT News on Sunday, 31 May 2020

The decision to postpone both events is due to the fact that both events rely on the participation of interstate and international athletes, the Government said.

“Although border restrictions are easing in Australia, there remains no guarantee participants will be willing or able to travel for either event,” the statement said.

“Thirty per cent of Alice Springs Masters Games participants fall into the vulnerable age category for COVID-19, while the majority of Arafura Games participants come from overseas, which remains a significant unknown.”

Minister for the Arafura Games Natasha Fyles said around $1 million has already been spent on the games, with around $500,000 in contracts assigned to sports groups.

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“There was a budget allocation of $6.8 million. My understanding is that around $1 million has been spent to date,” she said.

Minister for Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture Lauren Moss said of those groups assigned contracts: “they’ll get about thirty per cent of that agreement to be able to run some things, hopefully like training camps ahead of Tokyo, 2021, and that’s in good faith.”