Covid-19: AIMS Games cancelled in Tauranga for the second year in a row

Monday, 23 August 2021

More than 11,000 athletes from schools around New Zealand were going to take part at the Anchor AIMS Games in Tauranga this year.

Vicki Semple’s voice is wavering as she talks about the impact of cancelling the Anchor AIMS Games for the second year in a row.

“I know how devastated each of the athletes will be feeling, and try multiplying that by 11,000 – you’ll get a sense of how upset the AIMS Games organisers are.”

You can hear Semple’s own sadness and emotion over the phone. “Oh, the last five days …” she said.

Semple is tournament director and has been involved with the AIMS Games since it started in 2004. Last year and this year are the only two events that have had to be cancelled – both because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anchor AIMS Games tournament director Vicki Semple.

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The AIMS Games started in 2004. Last year and this year are the only two events that have had to be cancelled – both because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The week-long annual intermediate-aged sports tournament was due to start in Tauranga on September 4, but it was decided that, with the current Covid-19 outbreak and nationwide Level 4 lockdown, there was no way it could safely continue.

“We are utterly heartbroken at having to cancel, but there is absolutely no alternative. This outbreak is incredibly serious, and we totally support the decisions and actions made by our leaders,” Semple told Stuff.

“We know how much the AIMS Games means to our athletes, that’s precisely why we put it on each year, and we’re certainly passionate about not letting Covid beat us and coming back strong for 2022.”

For the tournament to go ahead, all of New Zealand needed to be at Level 1.

Postponing was also not an option, with 25,000 people to accommodate, 1800 officials to organise and 29 venues to be available at the same time.

This year's tournament received more than 11,000 entries from around the country, from Taipa in the north to Gore in the south. More than 365 schools were going to be competing in 23 sports.

Students fundraise and train all year for the AIMS Games. A school in Auckland raised $61,000 this year with a fun run, and a community in Southland made and sold 6960 cheese rolls to send its basketball team away.

“We are gutted for so many people – for the supporting schools, businesses, the incredible code-coordinators, the national sporting bodies, the supporters and most of all, the athletes themselves,” Semple said.

“The sport coordinators have worked tirelessly for the best part of a year to build their teams and set things in place, but our greater consideration is for the good of all New Zealanders and there's no way we want to compromise or jeopardise our wider fight against Covid-19,” she said.

“The safety and wellbeing of all our athletes and supporters is absolute priority. If we compromise on that, we would be compromising on the very ethos of our tournament.”

Semple said the AIMS Games would definitely be back next year.

“You can see things shifting overseas as vaccinated populations get back to a sense of normality, and you can feel it with this lockdown in New Zealand, just how seriously New Zealanders are taking it. I think the landscape this time next year will be vastly different, and we’ll be in a much stronger position to make sure the games go on.”

She said this year’s cancellation – like last year’s – would result in a financial hit for the tournament, as organisers refund 100 per cent of the schools’ entry fees.

“We’ll be looking through that as we navigate things over the next few weeks,” Semple said.

“This event’s been running for 18 years now, and we are so, so lucky that we’ve got such incredible partners that will stand beside us. Even before we made the call [to cancel], our partners have been reaching out and showing their support.”

Sponsors and schools had already pledged their support for the 2022 games.

Semple had also already received huge encouragement from principals and schools, who have had to juggle the expectation of students and parents with the realities of risk and welfare.

AIMS Games Trust chairperson and Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School principal Henk Popping said in many ways, this year's decision was far easier to make than last year's cancellation, which was made three months' before the tournament was due to take place.

“Going to Level 4 was an immediate indication of how seriously we needed to take this latest outbreak, and we just need to put our faith in our health officials and political leaders who've navigated us through so far,” Popping said.

“It's also a stark reminder that sport and recreation is a luxury – one that is incredibly important, of course, but it pales in comparison to the health concerns Covid-19 creates.”

Tauranga Commission Chair, Anne Tolley, said the cancellation was a huge disappointment for the organisers, intermediate and middle schools across the country, and for the thousands of young athletes who were looking forward to competing.

“Countless people have devoted so much time to preparing for this fantastic annual sporting event and to have it again fall victim to the Covid-19 pandemic is truly heart-wrenching for all involved,” Tolley said.

“The games contribute significantly to the Bay of Plenty economy, so our thoughts are also with the many businesses affected by the cancellation. The lockdown means tough times for many people, but we’ve beaten Covid-19 before and if we are all united in our resolve, we’ll beat it again.”

She said Tauranga City Council would continue to support the AIMS Games Trust through the 2021 cancellation process and was committed to working together to support the delivery of a 2022 event in Tauranga.